I love it when a plan comes together… and that’s as far as the reference would go, because it’s not my plan to begin with. But we can all appreciate when good planning and strong concepts are executed well in any medium, and here it’s Atlas’ new drinks menu.
Currently ranked seventh among Asia’s 50 Best Bars and 16th worldwide, the grandiose bar is easily among the prominent names on the local scene. Itself is lobby to a prominent building in Singapore. And it is Parkview Square’s very roaring ’20s aesthetic that leads the charge, with the full lineup playing off a total of seven Art Deco architectural wonders around the world.
The first chapter opens with this landmark of residence, featuring non-alcoholic tipples like Vanda Mist—fresh grapefruit, almond syrup, cinnamon and cream interestingly strikes a familiar, possibly unintentional lassi taste. The next destination on the list is Cassiano Branco’s Teatro Eden in Lisbon,
Portugal. Screening silent films in the renowned Praça dos Restauradores square, the theatre was once home to a market, which you see translated as the cantaloupe-forward Arcade Melon, for one.
The summer fruit is topped off with a clarified milk punch of port, orange liqueur and London dry gin.
Madrid-influenced Calle Alcalá pays homage to one of the first skyscrapers to rise in Spain. The Edificio de la Unión y el Fénix Español may be a mouthful, but the inspired drink’s ideal balance of sweet and refreshing goes down easy. Too easy.
Something a little more complex—mainly because of the blue cheese-infused cognac that’s worked with grappa, calvados, plum and lemon juice—is both a take on cocktail classic Daisy and namesake of Paris’s historic Pont Neuf bridge, where art deco legend La Samaritaine sits.
The sojourn goes on to the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels, London’s Battersea Power Station (complete with a wink to the rouge balloon pig in Pink Floyd’s Animals on the illustrated
menu) and the Helsinki Central Station. Whether you’ve physically visited these monuments, the menu is also a nice touch with alcohol intensity corresponding to the locations travelling north from our spot near the equator. Again, another thoughtful consideration we can appreciate.
To take the history lesson further, Atlas Vintage lets you try classic cocktails with spirits and liqueurs going as far back as over a century ago. Highlights from the famed Gin Tower comes in Bartender’s Choice G&T should you want to explore the extensive selection, while Atlas classic martinis also remain and can be enjoyed as a petite flight of three.
ATLAS is at Parkview Square, 600 North Bridge Road, Singapore 188778.
