COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Of all the gin joints in the city, Cin Cin stands out with its sheer love for the tipple of choice. Imagine over 75 different gin labels stocked at the bar — all sourced from across the globe — and more than 500 different permutations for you to concoct your own martinis or gin and tonics. It’s like a gin lover’s dream come true.
The new-ish 75-seater CBD watering hole sits in the lobby of Oasia Hotel Downtown, with elegant interiors and classy vibes. It’s not too casual, but swanky enough that it’s the sort of place you wouldn’t mind hanging out for after work drinks.
Some of the more intriguing bottles include the Corsair Steampunk Gin ($22/glass, $300/bottle), a pot distilled American blend with a mix of traditional gin botanicals, smoked grain and hops, as well as the Iron Balls Gin ($26/glass, $200/bottle), a small batch gin that offers hints of juniper, hillside ginger and lemongrass. Or if you know what you like in your gin, chat up friendly head bartender Fadly Sujebto and pick his brain for recommendations.
As for classic gin cocktails, the bar offers tons of ways you can customise your own martini or gin and tonic. Seriously, the choices here are limitless. To build a martini, choose your gin, followed by a sweet, medium or dry vermouth. Tell ’em if you’d like it shaken or stirred, then browse through 14 different bitters, and finish off with garnishes like kyuri, olives or a selection of fruit peels. If gin and tonic is more your thing, check out the range of 75 types of gin and 13 tonic waters before deciding which ones you’d like to pair together.
For the more adventurous, you can’t go wrong with the list of 12 gin cocktails created by Fadly. Inspired by the classic martini, the Cin Cin ($20) is a mix of Bulldog gin, Togarashi-infused Lillet Blanc and grapefruit bitters; while the Sambucus Toxin ($25) is a fruity blend of No.3 London Dry gin, fresh lime juice, lychee puree, elderflower bitters and mint. If you’re looking for a boozy rendition of afternoon tea, try the Bronze Venus ($26) — it’s got Earl Grey-infused Bulldog gin, simple syrup, Domain Chandon Brut and comes with a side of Valrhona chocolate.
If you’re staying for the duration of happy hour, you’ll get to enjoy one-for-one martinis, house-pour beers and wines from 5pm to 8pm.
Oh, and you’ll wanna pad your stomach with share-able light bites such as seared ahi tuna with compressed watermelon, red radish and sesame soy dressing ($18), pulled pork sliders with dijon mustard on brioche buns ($20) or spicy fried calamari drenched in sweet chilli sauce ($14).
Cin Cin is at #01-02 Oasia Hotel Downtown, 100 Peck Seah St, 6385-2604. Sun-Thurs 5pm-midnight, Fri, Sat, eve of PH 5pm-1am.
