There a great many things one can be doing on a Monday evening, but it's not likely that you find yourself sitting at the bar of a five star hotel.

But there I was, nestled snugly in a seat at Republic Bar Singapore. Contrary to most of the other guests around me, I was neither on holiday nor any important business meeting. What brought me here was the launch of their new cocktail menu.

The menu revamp hearkened the arrival of 16 new cocktails that drew inspiration from the roaring 1960s. Split into four concepts — icons, media, aesthetics, and innovation — each pays homage to the key turning points that came to define the generation. Their new food menu is also nothing to scoff at. Taking inspiration from Singapore's humble beginnings of the 60s, it styles itself as a representation of the melting-pot of cuisines brought forth by immigration.

The cozy, sunlit "living room" where guests may enjoy afternoon tea. 

The concept piqued by curiosity, but when I finally had the time to drop on by, it finally got my attention.

Located within The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, Republic is all about elegance and class. The bar itself is snug between the terrace outside (more on this later), and a seating space at the end of the main lobby called the living room. While there are also plentiful seats in the bar area, the living room provides those less-inclined toward alcohol to tuck into their preferred selections from the food menu.  

It's also a great place to deposit your underaged children, joked head bartender Kelvin Saquilayan. "It's like a playground for kids, while the bar is a playground for the adults," he said with a chuckle.

I also quite enjoyed how the bar was built to dim slowly as the sun set, while the table had a wonderfully cosy arm rest that removed the issue of awkward, hanging elbows off the tabletop.

Unfurling Republic's new menu.

"But enough about the decor!" you say. Right on, how does the new menu hold up? 

After some eager flipping being spoilt for choice, it was my wonderful bartender — one Kaushal Partheepan — that put an end to my uncertainty. The drink that drew first blood of this night was to be the Founding Father, under the Icons segment. 

The Founding Father.

As one might be able to tell by the name, this is a homage to Singapore's late founding father Lee Kuan Yew and was a lovely, refreshing mix of Flor de Caña Centenario 12 Years Old rum, sparkling wine, ginger, calamansi leaf, citrus and orchid syrup. Oh, and who could forget, garnished with a beautiful Orchid flower.

It was a stellar cocktail that was just what I needed to pep myself up after a long day. Just the right amount of sweetness without being too cloying, the raisin notes on the rum had a great interplay with the ginger and citrus.

What surprised me about it was the taste of sparkling wine, while I had anticipated a standard snappy presence, it was instead a gentle fizziness that only brought out the presence of the rum. I've always been partial to carbonated spirits, but this was wonderfully executed in a way that did not clash with the other ingredients.

The earthiness of the ginger also evolved well into the spicy-sweet-sour nature of the calamansi leaves, which only come forth toward the end before being seen off my the gentle floral sweetness of the orchid syrup.

But here lies something interesting: Apparently, both kitchen and bar try to utilise freshly-picked herbs and spices from the plants growing in the terrace behind me. As I came to learn from Kaushal, the calamansi leaves were harvested fresh from a pot of calamansi a few feet away.

The calamansi plant sitting outside the bar at the terrace. (Ft. a rosemary bush at its base)

Pots of pandan and even lemongrass grew beside it, destined to end up on plates of the hotel's guests. The plants are taken care of by the kitchen's chefs, who tend to them when needed.

The concept of fresh-picked ingredients was further compounded by the use of bar decorations as garnishes. I sat in perturbed wonder as Kaushal gingerly plucked a white flower off the vase at the center of the backbar and used it in a bespoke drink! 

He went on to explain that the flowers were changed out almost daily. "It's dual-purpose and makes the most of them," he said.

The next drink of the night was ordered out of sheer curiosity on my part (see embeded video above!). The Psychedelia under the Aesthetics section was a wonderful mix of Passito di Pantelleria dessert wine, lychee liqueur, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, Bols genever gin, clarified lemon juice, lavender bitters and olive oil.

Yep, you read that right, olive oil. The Psychedelia was made to represent the vibrant experimentalism of the 1960s. To achieve a semblance of that, different-colored olive oil is dropped onto the surface of the cocktail, forming a mesmerising swirl that spread out to cover the drink in a thin sheen of color.

I find this refreshing and highly smashable. It's sweet and floral, with a touch of bitterness from the genever and olive oil. There's a bit of dryness with dried fruit notes, while the lychee liqueur really comes through. 

The olive oil isn't just for show either. It contributes a lovely mouth-coating presence that enhances the depth of the drink while adding a twinge of savoriness that makes the entire concoction really quite moreish. To be entirely fair, I couldn't get much Maraschino, but that's neither here nor there.

Overall, it achieved its purpose well. It was a bold and experimental drink that could be either a delightful surprise or an acquired taste, not unlike the art of the period it's trying to embody.

The Twiggy.

On to the next drink! The Twiggy from the Icons section is named after fashion icon Dame Lesley Lawson. Made with vodka, chocolate coffee cream liqueur, earl grey tea, coffee liqueur and espresso, it's exactly what it sounds like — an indulgent Espresso Martini.

What I get is a deep coffee flavour with bursts of earl grey intermittently. Creamy and rich, you'll have to give this a go if you like Espresso Martinis. The chocolate liqueur also adds a welcome burst of flavor that surprisingly, does not make it overly sweet.

The visuals on this cocktail are also quite nice. Inspired by Lawson's iconic doe-eyed look, a custom-made frame is used to dust the top of the cream foam with a bright red design of two lashed eyes. While it might not contribute much in terms of flavor, I had to admit it was quite eye-catching and definitely added to the experience.

The last drink of the night caught my eye simply due to its description. The Headliner 26 was a homage to the concept of the "Big Apple's steadfast beacon of journalistic integrity". As a journalist myself, I simply had to try out this concoction of Irish Whisky liqueur, berry syrup, white Crème de Cacao and brewed coffee, topped with cream cheese foam.

Essentially a Irish Coffee, it really did cater to my sweet tooth. A lovely cream cheese entrance gives way to a mix of oaky malt notes and chocolate-edged coffee, while the berry syrup cuts through the earthiness of the coffee to present a sweet, bright punch of tangy flavor.

Despite popular opinion from various friends, I don't usually have liquid dinners. Feeling particularly snackish halfway through the drinks, I was thankfully presented with a series of bar bites from the new menu.

 From left: The eggplant hummus, sourdough bread and salmon crudo.

To start off, I was presented with a gorgeous looking plate that contained grilled eggplant Hummus and salmon crudo, with a side of house-baked sourdough bread.

Oh where do I begin. Everything was truly spectacular. As a longtime lover of all things salmon, the fresh raw slab of fish was doused in kaffir lime, shoyu and just a skosh of passionfruit. Sweet, salty and tangy all wrapped up and introduced with an umami blast, the generous bite of salmon lets you get everything in one go. 

The eggplant hummus was equally good. Buried in sweet chopped tomatoes, pomegranate and served alongside fresh burrata, it complimented the sourdough wonderfully. Grilled to perfection, I could taste the ghost of a char that quickly gave way to that fresh tomato burst. This was compounded by the popping kernels of pomegranate that provided the zesty juice needed to cut through the burrata and thicker nature of the hummus.

Cheese lovers will also appreciate the burrata. A smooth, buttery texture and a rich, milky flavor really provided the whole dish with a nice round-up, and also increases its ability to pair with the crunchy sourdough slices.

From left: The Char Siew Bun, Chicken Satay and Truffle Arancini.

I was also surprised with another offering by the very generous Head Chef Raj, which presented me with a tasting platter that contained their chicken satay, char siew bun, and truffle arancini.

Where should I start? The chicken satay was the tender-est skewer of chicken I ever did have, topped generously with peanut gravy, diced cucumber relish and torched ginger flower. In addition to the tender meat, the cucumber provided a welcome crunch. While most might ignore ginger flower on a plate of satay, the inclusion of it in the dish also provided a new take that injected a pleasant floral-spicy note.

The truffle arancini was also a nice little bite. Made with scamorza and arrabbiata sauce, the crunchy exterior provided a good entrance to the cheesy insides. While the truffle was much more subtle than I anticipated, it was still a ball of flavor and texture. Again, cheese lovers beware!

The char siew bun needs a little bit of an explanation. As seen above, it certainly doesn't look like the average bun you might be familiar with. Thick, well-charred slices of the fragrant meat were instead sandwiched between the bouncy leaves of dough in a fashion more akin to kou rou pau, or fatty pork belly buns. Within also contains an asian-style pesto with pickled mustard leaf, cilantro pesto and pomelo salsa. 

A first bite instantly reminded me of the tangy preserved vegetables you might find in a braised pork belly bowl. The meat remained shockingly tender despite its outside crunch, and the pomelo and cilantro really cut through the heavier nature of the meats and carbs. All in all, everything came together without feeling overly jelat (cloying), something that I've found myself struggling with with your standard kou rou paus. 

As I got off my well-cushioned high chair and toddled out of the hotel, I was well fed, and even better watered. Despite the risk of being too experimental or perhaps even gimmicky, I must say Republic has managed to pull it off. It's drinks are terrific and stick to the theme without being too overbearing. The ingredient list may look daunting, but it only has good flavors that compliment each other.

Similarly, the food is absolutely stellar. It's a re-imagination of our local favorites, injected with just the right amount of innovation without being too distant. It's once again, basics done right, albeit with a little artistic flair put into it. 

An additional shoutout to the chefs and bar staff, which will no doubt entertain and educate in equal parts. As they say, if you're blue, and you don't know where to go to, Republic is worth a try.

Lok Bing Hong A budding journalist that loves experiencing new things and telling people's stories. I have 30 seconds of coherence a day. I do not decide when they come. They are not consecutive.