{"id":65583,"date":"2026-07-02T18:09:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T10:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=65583"},"modified":"2026-07-02T18:09:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T10:09:00","slug":"drink-in-focus-broth-soul-at-argo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=65583","title":{"rendered":"Drink in Focus: Broth & Soul at Argo"},"content":{"rendered":"


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What if your mother\u2019s tomato and potato soup \u2013 the one that used to simmer while you tackled your homework \u2013 became a cocktail? That Cantonese comfort food classic is now being poured at Argo<\/span> as the Broth & Soul, the celebrated bar\u2019s newest take on the Bloody Mary.<\/div>\n

The unlikely inspiration came from Argo\u2019s senior bartender, Wesley Lui, and his regular haunt, Big JJ Seafood Hotpot, the cult-favourite restaurant that recently reopened in Landmark Prince\u2019s. Lui was drawn to the restaurant\u2019s old-school Hong Kong spirit. \u201cIt was still the masked era,\u201d he recalls of his first visit to the original location, also in Central. \u201cI went out of curiosity, wanting to find out why the place was so famous. After trying it, I understood it\u2019s a place full of local sentiment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lui initially pitched the idea of turning the restaurant\u2019s signature clam soup into a cocktail. But after further discussion, the team shifted to something even more universally resonant: the humble tomato and potato soup. \u201cWe wanted to draw on everyone\u2019s emotional connection to this well-known broth,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

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\"Wesley<\/div>
Wesley Lui, Argo\u2019s senior bartender. Photo: Handout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Yet the idea met with some initial scepticism. Lui remembers that, early on, Big JJ\u2019s founder, Peter Pang, asked a pointed question: \u201cHow can you use a Bloody Mary style cocktail to create something that makes people think of hotpot? Won\u2019t the flavours clash?\u201d That tension became the creative engine for more than 20 iterations.<\/p>\n

The back-and-forth was a genuine exchange. The Argo team visited Big JJ for hotpot meals, while Pang visited the bar. Argo\u2019s beverage manager Jonathan Gabbay describes how the cocktail was built in careful stages, beginning with a Bloody Mary framework. A decision was made to use Grey Goose vodka for a clean profile that wouldn\u2019t overpower the delicate spices. Pang offered input from a broth master\u2019s perspective, suggesting the inclusion of aromatic Chinese celery and kaffir lime leaf. Amontillado sherry brings a crucial dry, nutty depth, while lemon lifts the fruitiness of the tomato.<\/p>\n

And no hotpot is complete without some heat. Here, controlled, subtle heat is key: a gentle mala tingle<\/span> achieved by meticulously adjusting the infusion time of Sichuan pepper and chillies.<\/div>\n
A decade ago, such a drink might have raised eyebrows, but today\u2019s savoury cocktail<\/span> movement has shifted the conversation.<\/div>\n

Lui is candid about the struggle to find balance. \u201cTo be honest, we tested so many times I can\u2019t even remember the initial flavours. We were stuck in an endless cycle of either, the mala was too strong, or the savouriness was too much, or the tomato freshness completely disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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