Like the lofty man himself, Joel Fraser’s cocktails have a larger than life quality. Big on impact and short on pretense, his creations are nothing if not bold, taking inspiration from the clean flavours of his ingredients. Helming the newly-opened Cufflink Club, Fraser is a key member of Singapore’s cocktail vanguard, a select group of mixologists and spirit enthusiasts who are reinventing the city as a fine-drinking destination in its own right.
Tucked away amongst the shophouses of Singapore’s historic Chinatown district, The Cufflink Club is a worthy excursion off the beaten path. With vintage hip-hop playing in the background and inventive cocktail names culled from pop culture and literary history, the bar embodies Fraser’s affable personality, combining mixological verve with a typically British sense of rugby-club bonhomie.
Cocktail highlights include “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, a Hemingway-inspired concoction of Banks 5 Island rum, dry maraschino, pink grapefruit and hand-pressed lime, and “Summer of George”, an inventive combination of George Dickel Tennessee whiskey, peach and maple.
Well-presented but steering clear of snootiness, The Cufflink club is a place for laughter and relaxation — a cocktail mecca for those who don’t take the whole business too seriously. Low lighting, comfortable seating and an extensive charcuterie selection mean this is a place where entire evenings could easily be lost. Hemingway said that “drinking is a way of ending the day”. What better way to end than with a trip to The Cufflink Club?
The Cufflink Club: 6 Jiak Chuan Road, Singapore
