{"id":58090,"date":"2026-06-04T23:47:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T15:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=58090"},"modified":"2026-06-04T23:47:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T15:47:59","slug":"drink-in-focus-bamboo-at-bar-anima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=58090","title":{"rendered":"Drink in Focus: Bamboo at Bar Anima"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Pre-Prohibition and classic cocktails offer drinkers a vital baseline for understanding flavour profiles. In today\u2019s bar scene<\/span>, where innovation and complex techniques are celebrated, these simple, time-tested recipes provide a necessary anchor for the palate and help ground the tasting experience. Recognising this, the newly reopened Bar Anima<\/span> has chosen to feature these historic drinks as its signature offerings, each one acting as a time capsule that preserves the tastes and innovations of a bygone era.<\/div>\n
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Pei Cheung, assistant bar manager at Bar Anima. Photo: Handout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIn the 19th century, people drank cocktails for socialisation and status,\u201d says Pei Cheung, Anima\u2019s assistant bar manager. \u201cThe spirits and equipment available at the time were generally of lower quality. People relied on sugar, spices and fruit juices to make drinks more palatable, so many old recipes are simpler, sweeter and designed to mask imperfections in the base spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Bar Anima\u2019s current signatures, the Bamboo, is an icon of this era as mixology took off in Japan. Cheung recounts the cocktail as invented by German bartender Louis Eppinger, who was hired as head bartender at the Grand Hotel (built in 1887) in Yokohama, a port city that was the first point of contact for Western cultural ideas like jazz.<\/p>\n

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The newly reopened Bar Anima. Photo: Jocelyn Tam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cAfter bartending techniques were introduced to Japan in the 19th century, the influx of cocktail trends led to an increasing number of bars opening in Ginza<\/span>,\u201d Cheung continues. \u201cAs Japanese people gradually incorporated their own culture and ideas, the craft slowly evolved into something more refined and elegant, even to the point of an extreme pursuit of excellence.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Roy Chung, co-owner and director of Bar Anima. Photo: Jocelyn Tam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Bamboo appeals to that ethos in just three ingredients. The drink was Eppinger\u2019s twist on the classic Adonis, for which dry vermouth is used instead of sweet vermouth alongside dry sherry and bitters. \u201cIn my point of view, the simpler the ingredients, the harder it is to be outstanding, like with scrambled eggs,\u201d Cheung adds. \u201cThe ingredients of the Bamboo are both low-alcohol, wine-based liquors. With spirits like these, aromas tend to be lighter and more delicate. Through bartending techniques, you can bring out more aroma and flavour, but if you handle them too roughly or dilute the drink too much, they can easily turn sour and may even leave an astringent aftertaste.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Bamboo\u2019s ingredients are low-alcohol, wine-based liquors. Photo: Jocelyn Tam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Such a minimal, technique-heavy approach to mixology appears spartan next to the many techniques available to bartenders now. Cheung finds that technology and ingredients today raise the bar on quality such that consistency, polish and storytelling are required to create a modern and stellar bar experience. \u201cPeople want a reason to go out and seek a complete bar experience, not just the flavour of a single cocktail,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

However, classics are classics for a reason, and can still deliver. According to Cheung, \u201cLong after trends change, some classic recipes are able to survive because they offer something truly compelling. I believe reimagining only works when the audience truly understands the work\u2019s essence. With cocktails such as the Bamboo or the Manhattan, I value how their simplicity still delivers depth. Our bar is [like] a record shop. We carefully preserve the classic cocktail styles and their craftsmanship, like vinyl records<\/span>. Bartenders are the DJs; we respect the classics and reinterpret them into personalised experience.\u201d<\/div>\n

Anatomy of a cocktail<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Name:<\/strong> Bamboo<\/p>\n

Bar:<\/strong> Bar Anima, 8\/F, 11 Stanley Street, Central<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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