An ode to the Big Apple and the big-name personalities who inhabit it, this black and gold jewel box off the soaring postmodern lobby at Conrad Singapore Orchard (formerly the Regent hotel) has shaken up the local cocktail bar scene since 2014. Elegant service staff attired in all-black dresses welcome drinkers into a glamorous den of lacquered walls and leather chairs, where regulars order off-menu classics like a lavender- and maple-infused New York Sour topped with Ruby Port wine. Spirits, bitters, and signature negronis are aged in-house more than 100 oak barrels under the guidance of Slovakia-born beverage director Rusty Cerven. His latest New York Personified menu nods to influential figures such as Yoko Ono and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who are each represented by a trio of libations. Served in a coffee mug with biscotti on the side, Cigarette Break honors the late Anthony Bourdain with a smoky combination of Luxardo hazelnut and espresso liqueur, toasted coconut, 12-year-old Bowmore Scotch whisky, lemon, and egg white foam. As if Manhattan couldn’t get any better, there are exciting days ahead for Cerven and his team: national competition–winning mixologist Zana Möhlmann has just been recruited as head bartender from her native Amsterdam. —James Louie
hilton.com
+65 6725 3377
Level 2, Conrad Singapore Orchard, 1 Cuscaden Rd., Singapore