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<p>It may be hard to believe, but strait-laced Singapore was once a place where narcotics were offloaded and shipped elsewhere during its early colonial days. That unsavory history comes to the fore in Chandu, a speakeasy hidden behind an unmarked gray door at the back of <a href="https://www.discoverasr.com/en/the-crest-collection/singapore/the-robertson-house-by-the-crest-collection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Robertson House</a> hotel. Its name is taken from both the Hindi word for “moon” (<em>chandra</em>) and “opium” in Malay (<em>candu</em>, pronounced with a “ch”). Chandu seats only 16 but is big on character, thanks to a retro style that recalls 19th-century opium dens and clan associations. (There’s even an antique opium pipe as a beautiful prop.) The wider hotel imagines what the home of real-life municipal councilor Dr. J. Murray Robertson might have been like, and this bar was conceived as a clandestine meeting point away from prying eyes, where Dr. Robertson would have entertained his inner circle.</p>
<p>Park yourself at the green marble–topped bar and let the team regale you with the stories behind the signature Originals. The easy-to-drink Mata Hari honors the eponymous World War I spy, wrongly executed by the French as a scapegoat for their own military intelligence failures. Dr. Robertson’s role as a tax collector is memorialized in the spirit-forward Death &amp; Taxes, which combines Seven Tails XO brandy and Mackintosh blended malt Scotch whisky. Chasing the Dragon — a blend of custom-made Dr. Robertson’s Gin, silver needle tea, dragon fruit, and white grape cordial — comes served with an opium ball–inspired chocolate praline and a truncated cone of smoking incense that mimics the drug’s aroma. An off-menu Black Manhattan delivers a more well-rounded version of the classic, while Bazant and his team’s creativity shine in the tailor-made “market-to-glass” cocktails. Though Chandu does accept walk-ins, you’re better off reserving ahead of time.<strong> —James Louie</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/chandubarsg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">instagram.com/chandubarsg/</a><br />
+65 8380 1694<br />
<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/tTeXM6GGPJcXNTwt5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Robertson House by The Crest Collection, 1 Unity St., Singapore</a></p>
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A video short taken at Chandu Bar Singapore.

Chandu: Speakeasy Tales

Singapore Nightlife

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