Nutmeg & Clove

Two forced moves, one pandemic, and a menu that speaks Singlish. The bar has earned its stories.

Nutmeg & Clove is the bar to bring an overseas friend who thinks Singapore drinking begins and ends with the Sling, or a local who reckons they have heard every Singlish joke. The drinks are built on Singaporean flavours and named in Singlish, and the kitchen plays along. The jokes land best when the bartender explains them, so sit at the bar if you can and ask.

Three addresses and a pandemic

Colin Chia left a senior regional job at Diageo Reserve to open the bar in 2014 because, as he has put it, "no one was telling stories of Singapore through the medium of cocktails." The name nods to his grandfather, a Chinese immigrant who worked in the spice trade, and the first home on Ann Siang Hill sat on land once planted with, yes, nutmeg and clove.

Then the soap opera. Landlord disputes forced moves in 2016 and 2020, and Covid left the bar licensed only to sell alcohol, with no kitchen to fall back on. In 2021 it reopened on Purvis Street, where Chia's family once owned a shophouse. Everything he does with the business, he explained, "needs to be emotional". By 2023 it was No. 7 in Asia. The bar's own record shows it on Asia's 50 Best every year from 2022, at No. 12 in 2026, and The World's 50 Best Bars placed it at No. 38 in 2026, up from 50th.

The Singlish menu

The list launched in January 2026 puts twelve new drinks with Singlish names alongside twelve Hall of Fame favourites. Alamak reworks the Singapore Sling as something clarified and fizzy, with soursop, passionfruit and a pink foam crown; the head bartender says the name is what you blurt out on seeing the bill at Long Bar. Can Lah swaps the Manhattan's cherry for canned peaches. Bo Ta Bo Lam Pa arrives with a shot of apple, beetroot and carrot juice, the hawker-stall ABC, to spike it. Atas, naturally, involves expensive spirits and edible gold.

Eat as well

The kitchen the bar once lacked so painfully now pulls its weight: a chilli crab dip with mantou, turmeric fried chicken and a bak kut teh burger. Earlier menus ran to kaya toast and yam abacus seeds, so expect local flavours rather than bar snacks on autopilot. Order food with the first round, not the third.

It is at 8 Purvis Street, a short walk from Bugis MRT, open daily from 5pm, with reservations through its own booking link. Ask about the names; you will leave with a better vocabulary than you came in with.

Good to know 8 Purvis Street, a short walk from Bugis MRT. The official site lists daily hours of 5pm to midnight, with reservations through its booking link; check drink prices and any early-evening offers before you go.

Bars where the menu starts the conversation: our full list.

Nutmeg & Clove | 8 Purvis Street, Singapore 188587 | Nearest MRT: Bugis