Steph C.
Yelp
Jigger & Pony has the #5 spot on The World's 50 Best Bars list, so when we found ourselves staying a short walk away, we decided to check it out. The place takes reservations, and we grabbed the only one available, for a midnight seating. Crazytown for a couple of middle-aged parents, but we were only in Singapore for one night. We napped during the day and showed up ten minutes early.
The bar was on the lobby level of the Amara hotel, and we were welcomed in as soon as we arrived. It was a fun spot, attractive and lively, definitely a scene. I appreciated that the reservation came with seating, two stools right at the bar. There were three or four bartenders behind there at any given time, and they were young and friendly and seemed to be having a blast. I really liked the guy making our drinks, a sweet Korean dude who's lived in Singapore most of his life.
We ordered our cocktails from a beautiful "menuzine," a full-color book with a page dedicated to each drink. The cocktails were quite elaborate, with tons of ingredients and complicated processes. We are the correct audience for this sort of over-the-top mixology, but to our surprise, the results were not entirely successful. The one I take issue with is the Perfect Manhattan, made with Woodford Reserve rye, Carpano Antica, Mancino Secco, stracciatella, and chocolate bitters. The rye was fat-washed with stracciatella ice cream, and the whole thing was garnished with a chocolate cherry. This sounded interesting, but was weirdly less tasty and balanced than the Manhattans we make at home, also with rye and Carpano.
I did like our other three cocktails. The Ugly Tomatoes was nice, lightly sweet and savory, with Hendrick's Orbium gin, ugly tomatoes, kummel, and elderflower. The Yuzu Whisky Sour was solid, with Maker's Mark bourbon, yuzu marmalade, St. Germain, lemon, and egg white. The Peaches & Daisies was a lovely refreshing cocktail with Nikka Coffey grain whisky, lacto-fermented peach, cranberry, chamomile, and lemon.
We had a great time at Jigger & Pony, and I'd recommend it if you want a happening bar where you can sit and enjoy a fancy cocktail. Is it the fifth-best bar in the world? Probably not. But the drinks are unique and the vibes are good.