Craft bartenders love to share stories, stories of their bar’s origin, stories of their cocktails and menu concepts. Sometimes the stories are hokum nothingburgers, stale tales about their grandfather or epiphanies like “did you know Singapore was a spice trading centre?”. Colour me surprised there.

Once in a while, though, the history lessons are inspired, and you get a winner. The new one I’m loving now is by Origin, who have crafted delightful cocktails that pay tribute to inventions. Remember inventions? Before apps and dropshipping, people invented things; things like chewing gum, answering machines, fortune cookies, aeroplanes and emojis.

The Origin team must have had so much fun researching and remaking their recipes. The result is 18 well-crafted and whimsical drinks that are art directed, aromatic and appetising. You’ll laugh at your fortune in the cookies, you’ll love the absinthe mist in their Sazerac take, and you’ll cry at the childhood joy of Play Well 👇

I know you’re going to derive as much pleasure as I did from savouring and sharing them. This is, as the Origin team says, your one-way ticket towards an adventure that never ends.

You might order the refreshing Chicle ($24) just for the fake chewing gum, but I’m loving it for the mezcal, raspberry and cooling mint. Chewing gum was a staple back during Mayan times, as chicle (a tree gum) was a sticky base to glue things and make sticky substances. This legal concoction is fun and exemplifies the clever thinking behind the bar’s garnishes and presentation. We’re definitely sticking around for more.

Shigetaka Kurita is credited with creating the first emojis, and since then SMSing (and sexting) have never been the same. The zesty Happy ($24) will put a smile on your face, and its fizzy blend of cold press kumquat, shiso leaf, mugi shochu, sachi soy and tonic with improve your day. 😁

Peanut Butter Therapy ($26) is a herbal and earthy companion you won’t be having with your breakfast anytime soon. The peanut butter wash brings an early surprise to their take on the sazerac, and the presentation is a morning delight with the absinthe mist. 

The Dirty Royal ($26) is an obvious tribute to Bond (yes, James) and is a bracing umami hit with Hendrick’s Orbium Gin, Mancino Bianco Ambrato, — brought to super agent level with smoked dry sherry and olive — and it’ll knock the living daylights out of you.

This is, quite literally, the bomb. The Atomico ($25) is a tribute to the world’s most potent energy, but thankfully all that power is balanced with yuzu, rum and sake, with wasabi acting as a trigger. This sour drink won’t bring about world peace, but it’d sure start an interesting dialogue.

With 18 rigorous and remarkable cocktails to choose from, you’d be forgiven for not ordering from their regular menu — this is already voted the best drinks program by Singapore’s drinks media. (If you can squeeze in one more, Origin Bar and Grill makes the best Martinez in town.) For now, we’re chuffed at how joyous this new menu is and we’re inventing new ways to get more punters to appreciate this.

Like this? We’ve Always Loved Origin, Here’s Why

Like this? This Bar Loves Rum and Pirate Stories

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