Here’s what you may already know about Atlas Bar:
The bar has an extensive range of gins — possibly the largest collection among all bars worldwide — which, at last count, is over 1,300 bottles.
Its Art Deco-inspired interior and cavernous space make it one of the most photographable drinking spots in the world.
They also make a killer Martini — which to us matters more than anything else when judging a bar.

The Classic Martini, made from your choice of gin.

Why we’re bringing up a classic in a review of their new cocktail menu Simple Pleasures is because the new program is a return to the classics. A return to, literally, simple pleasures: when a cocktail was a Cocktail and not a modern monstrosity with 11 garnishes, where spirits are run through seven kitchen techniques and accompanied by a story about your grandfather’s first job as a cobbler apprentice. (No one wants stories about your grandfather. No. One.)

So this is a welcome return to sophistication, to sanity, and to the pleasures of ordering a stylish and slick cocktail.

The Occidental: London Dry Gin, vermouth blend, Italian citrus liqueur, thyme (39.2%)

Not quite a Martini but a cousin perhaps to the classic. The limoncello adds a fuller and more fiesty note to make this quite quaffable. Not as dry as aficianados would like, but this is so approachable.

The menu offers An Atlas Suite ($38), a Martini flight with three modern versions served in petite elegant glasses.

Ode to Odyssey: Four Pillars Shiraz Gin, clarified milk, toasted raisin, sherry blend, cream (7.2%)

A popular one, this Ramos Fizz variation, which is creamy (natch), sweet and a tall glass of delight.

Fun Fact: The menu lists cocktails and its alcohol levels, so you can order according to how fortified you are feeling. As per drinking trends, the menu also features a Mocktail section for punters who want the taste and not the waste.

Valley of the Ashes: American bourbon, Venezuelan rum, Italian bitter liqueur, pomelo lime (23.5%)

A bionic but balanced drink — the spirits are lifted by the presence of pomelo lime. This Old Fashioned variation is a testament to the immortal idea that you can order a cocktail with no fuss and have it taste like heaven.

The Atlas Old Fashioned is a spicier take and worth a punt.

Bijou: Japanese gin from Hiroshima, sweet vermouth and green chartreuse.

In the spirit of the 20s, I ended my night with a Bijou, the jewel of cocktails. When given a choice, pick a gin you like and in this case, I went with a more umami Japanese gin. It tastes, to paraphrase F. Scott Fitzgerald, “a form of chemical madness”, and all the better for it.

This celebration of the cocktail renaissance by Atlas is also a celebration of decadence and delight. You can order a vintage cocktail with gin from the 1910s for S$275, or a modern classic for a whole lot less but still made with the same sophistication and savoir-faire.

We applaud the return to tradition, and tip our top hat to the twenties, and say that this is one of the best revamps in recent memory. 

Atlas Bar, Parkview Square, 600 North Bridge Road.

Check out their Sunday Brunch, happening 9 April, 14 May and 18 June:

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