Everyone knows Ann Siang Road is a madhouse come nightfall. The bars become packed to the brim with people spilling out on to the street and finding a table anywhere is next to impossible. Oxwell and Co is no exception. This staple at the corner of Ann Siang Road and Club Street is a favourite among revellers keen to celebrate the end of the work day. But squeeze your way through the crowd and climb up to The Apothecary on the third floor – there you are rewarded with the sound of mellow jazz instead of the jarring shouts from a bro who’s had one too many. The price you pay for this peace and quiet? Some less-than-stellar drinks.
The small bar seats 12 and mirrors a medieval pharmacy. Curious bottles and test tubes labelled as cure-all solutions for influenza and other ailments line the walls and these panaceas also make their way on to Apothecary’s menu. The Croak & Wheeze Relief ($24) is a mix of Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, honey sage syrup, citrus, orange bitters and cigar smoke. It’s served in three separate parts: the wheeze syrup (pre-batched cocktail), croak elixir (orange bitters) and salvia officinalis (sage). Pour the parts into a glass and add as much bitters as you’d like. Even after a few generous dashes of bitters, the tipple leans too much on the sweet and citrusy side. The notes of smoke we are promised from the cigar on our visit don’t come through, either.
Apothecary only has seven cocktails on the menu but there are three similar citrus and whisky-based drinks on the list. Pearly White Polish ($24) is made with Balvenie 12 Year Old, elderflower, citrus and grapefruit soda and comes with a tube of raspberry toothpaste (basically raspberry jelly you squeeze out of a tube). The Fenicillin ($22) mixes Monkey Shoulder Whisky and Laphroaig with honeyed fennel syrup, ginger and, you guessed it, more citrus. The cocktails lack complexity and pretty much taste the same. Plus pouring pre-made cocktails straight from the refrigerator and charging $22 for it seems rather unjustified.