At Tippling Club you’re not gonna get hold of a regular menu. What you will get is a stash of scented strips/blotters (yes, artfully displayed), with evocative descriptions of what you’re smelling: Rain, Negroni, Campfire etc.

Through these blotters, which ought to trigger some idea of what compels you, you’re supposed to pick your cocktail. For instance, Rain is suffused with stone, citrus, soda, vodka and rain (or petrichor, yes, there’s a word for it). And you order your cocktail based on the scent you love.

But does it work?

“The scent of crayon is perhaps the strongest emotive memory trigger, instantly taking people back to their childhood. This is exactly what we want to achieve with our new cocktail menu; we want you to relive those cherished childhood memories through the medium of aroma,” says the people of Tippling Club.

How is this achieved?

Through a series of fragrances crafted in conjunction with International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. (IFF), a leading innovator of sensory experiences, Head Bartender Joe Schofield taps on the sense of smell to create an olfactory drinking experience that translates a plethora of carefully curated aromas—coupled with Chef-Owner Ryan Clift’s avant-garde culinary know-how—to invoke a series of rousing memories and emotions.

“In bringing Tippling Club’s kitchen expertise into play, Joe and the team have managed to create a truly culinary drinking experience that can hold its own in both local and global playing fields,” says Chef Ryan.

Is this anything like the movie Perfume?

Yes, and no. It is estimated that 80% of the flavours we taste come from our sense of smell via retronasal olfaction. This is the process of aroma (or odour molecules) travelling first from the oral cavity and finally to the nose, while we are eating and drinking. Have you noticed that when you’re sick and can’t smell anything, you can’t taste the food either?(Also, no one was murdered in the creation of these cocktails).

So what does this entail?

This program emphasises scent over spirit. So forget your “make me something with bourbon” line. Linger of the strips (12 in total) and let the  which most evocative one call to you.

Maybe it’s Campfire, a comforting concoction of marshmallow milk, burnt syrup, ash and gin reminiscent of starry nights spent huddled around a toasty campfire, or maybe it’s Leather, a smoky, luxurious libation that pairs sweet notes of raisin, orange and vanilla with the satisfying whiff of new leather. 

Or Negroni perhaps. The name does give it away, but this one offers a levitated take on the classic cocktail, using ultrasonic soundwaves to
rapidly emulate a barrel-aged flavour, the drink is served with a faux orange slice that is fleshed out with a frozen negroni-flavoured gelatin.

And Tippling Club is the first to do this? 

Yes, they’re the first cocktail bar to attempt this. Watch this video. Each cocktail is $22. We love it, both for the idea and the execution. It’s also the little details that matter as well: how the marshmellow comes into play in Campfire; how the gelatin orange slice enhances the flavours;

Tippling Club, 38 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088461, Tel: 6475 2217.

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