The term “non-alcoholic cocktail” is a perfect oxymoron. Does it even make sense? After all, what’s a G&T without the G? This zero-proof phenomenon has taken the drinking scene by storm, kickstarted by the introduction of alcohol-free beer in recent years. But skeptics remain. So when we heard that a new zero-alcohol bar hop experience is launching in Singapore, we had to try it for ourselves. The SingaPour Drink Tour by VegThisCity takes us across three mystery bars, introducing us to the world of alcohol-free spirits and craft beverages. Read on to find out about our experience, and the answers to our burning questions on the zero-proof trend.
What is the SingaPour Drink Tour?
Organised by VegThisCity, a vegan-friendly tour operator, The SingaPour Drink Tour is the first bar hop in Singapore to spotlight the island’s alternative drinking scene. The three-hour walking tour takes you to three undisclosed bars which you will uncover along the way. These range from award-winning establishments to speakeasy-style joints and unique themed bars. During the tour, you’ll get to know a little about the history behind each location, sample specially-curated zero-alcohol beverages, and interact with drink experts. Special food deals at each bar are also exclusively available for participants. While the curation of bars varies for each tour, some venues you can expect to visit include 28 HongKong Street, Bar Spectre, The Coup, The Elephant Room, Writers Bar, Fura, and more to come.
Eiktha Khemlani, our guide on the tour and the founder of VegThisCity tells us what she wants guests to take away from the experience. The first is that “you don’t need alcohol to have fun in a dimly lit space”, and the second is that “Singapore’s bars are more forward-looking than we think”.
Our experience
Our adventure begins at Ann Siang Hill, at the underground bunker-inspired bar, The Coup. A five-course ‘elixir omakase’ by Boujee Botanicals greets us. The brand was born in 2020 in the throes of the pandemic together with the emerging health and wellness movement. East-meets-West herbal mixes are the focus here. We start with a Ribena-inspired kombucha, which is caffeine-free thanks to the use of rooibos, black grapes, and lavender. Other drinks in the elixir flight include a cold brew tea with a mushroomy and umami aftertaste, a grape and pandan kombucha reminiscent of the complexity of white wine, and finally, an electrifying jamu (turmeric and ginger) immunity shot to jolt us awake.
We also sample drinks by Melati, an Asian non-alcoholic spirit brand which will soon launch in Singapore online and in all Little Farms and Culina stores. Our favourite is the Melati Fresh – a juicy, tropical blend enjoyed best with soda water. Whiskey lovers can look out for the Melati Classic, which is a tad more bitter and herbaceous.
We then hop over to Bar Spectre, a popular mental wellness-themed bar. Things start with the bar’s signature ritual of having guests write down their concerns on a piece of paper and burn them away. Three off-menu drinks are then introduced – a chamomile-based beverage to promote sleep, an antioxidant-rich blue pea and apple cider drink, and a green tea and peach blossom ‘highball’. Founder Andrew Pang takes us through the Spectre’s mental wellness philosophy, R&D process, and even teases the bar’s soon-to-launch menu which will see more non-alcoholic creations added to the list.
Our final stop is the bar industry powerhouse 28 HongKong Street. We are served three drinks more akin to conventional mocktails, as they’re zero-proof spin-offs of existing cocktails on the menu. On the roster are the Highland Monarch’s Sour, the River City Paloma, and the Burung Bathikan – all using Lyre’s, an Australian non-alcoholic spirit. The tour wraps with a fun activity where we get to customise a beverage of our choice through a quiz on our flavour preferences, with safe bets like fruity tasting notes to wilder options like tom yam.
Why the recent buzz around zero-alcohol drinks?
Despite its recent popularity, many are still cynical or curious about the zero-proof wave. Eiktha answers our questions on the recent bumper crop of non-alcoholic options in bars and how they differ from mocktails which have long existed in the scene. For her, bars are spaces where people come together and connect. But more often than not, there are bound to be non-drinkers or alcohol-intolerant folks among the crowd. While the solution for this used to be Shirley Temples or juices, more can be done to make these individuals feel more included in such social settings. And one way is for bars to offer solid zero-proof options that can hold a candle to their alcoholic offerings.
Nowadays, non-alcoholic drinks go beyond mocktails and can vary across a wide range of craft beverages, with many even boasting added health benefits as we experienced on the tour. It’s no longer just about creating alcohol-free knockoffs of classic cocktails, but inventing something new altogether. It’s a big win for the industry in terms of encouraging creativity and innovation, but also promoting greater inclusivity in the space and debunking the stigma of inebriation being the point of it all. And thankfully, many bars are embracing this move, even placing zero-proof options on the front page of their menus instead of relegating them to the back with the Cokes and Sprites.
How to appreciate non-alcoholic drinks and why are they still expensive if they don’t contain alcohol?
Throughout the tour, we notice one thing: With cocktails, we tend to drink more slowly as we’re mindful of its alcohol content and the fact that we’re paying a premium for spirits. But with zero-proof drinks, the lack of booze can lead to the tendency of wanting to chug down your drink instead of savouring it. Here comes the challenge: non-alcoholic drinks still cost as much, if not just slightly less than their alcoholic counterparts. So how should we savour and appreciate zero-proof concoctions, and how do we justify the price of alcohol-free beverages?
Founder Andrew from Spectre speaks candidly with us on this, firstly sharing that it’s better for the business if guests drink more – a fair response. But to our two questions above, his answer is craft. In place of alcohol, guests are paying for the concepts and techniques that go behind non-alcoholic drinks. Processes like pickling, for instance, can take up to three days, and bars are also increasingly exploring making their own alcoholic bitters in-house. He also highlights the versatility of alcohol-free drinks in terms of their effects – ingredients like oolong and osmanthus calm the nerves, while coffee and pu er can provide a caffeine boost.
Who is the SingaPour Drink Tour for and how do you sign up?
The best part of the tour is that it’s highly customisable, whether you want to come solo and meet new people or attend with your group of friends. The maximum group size is 10, but private experiences and corporate sessions can be arranged. Just note that this tour is only for adults above 18.
Tickets go at $129 per person, and if you make your booking before September 30, you can enjoy a discounted rate of $99 per person using the promo code “sobershiok”.
Find out more about the SingaPour Drink Tour here, and VegThisCity here.
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