Singapore’s Atlas debuts its new menu, ‘Simple Pleasures’

Head bartender Lidiyanah’ Yana’ K first menu embraces inclusivity and transparency with four classic cocktail styles. 

Ranked No.23 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars, Singapore’s Atlas launched a new menu, ‘Simple Pleasures’, designed by head bartender Lidiyanah ‘Yana’ K.

Celebrating her first year in the role, Yana turned to the decade of 1920s- the golden age of drinking – and created four sections around four classic cocktails: Martinis, Sours, Champagne cocktail and Old Fashioned.

Each section lists five contemporary spins on the classic, starting with a milk punch version, three modern interpretations and, in the spirit of inclusivity, a zero-proof alternative.

“I’m a huge advocate of non-alcoholic drinks,” Yana said. “In the past, people strayed away from them. The drinks had a bad reputation for being too sweet or not creative enough. But now, with the introduction of non-alcoholic spirits, we can push the boundaries of the cocktails we make.”

The zero-proof drinks include Hope on the Horizon (S$14), a champagne cocktail option with lavender yuzu kombucha, pomegranate syrup, lime juice and Lyre’s Agave Blanco. A Farewell to Arms (S$14) is the martini alternative with Lyre’s London dry gin, lemon saccharum and champagne vinegar.

In a trendsetting move, the new menu shares the cocktail’s alcohol by volume (ABV) for each drink, ranging from a low 7.2%abv to 39.2%abv.

According to Yana, menus have long listed the alcohol content for beers and spirits, but the cocktail alcohol content was largely left to guesswork. Adding hard ABV numbers helps answer the frequently asked questions about the drink’s strength and makes the menu “more functional and transparent.”

Addressing the growing demand for transparency, top Singapore bars like Mo Bar, Jigger and Pony have adopted pictograms and grid formats to convey their drink’s potency. Now, Atlas furthers the momentum by sharing the exact alcohol content with the help of a refractometer, capable of measuring the ABV down to the last decimal.

The menu includes martini riffs like Montgomery (21.6% abv, S$26) – a herbaceous rendition with a mint tea-infused vodka and a touch of absinthe served with olive oil caviar. From the old-fashioned page, Valley of the Ashes (23.5% abv, S$26) is a feminine riff on the drink with American bourbon, a bitter Italian liqueur, and pomelo lime sugar syrup, served with a sliver of handmade sea-salt chocolate.

Related news

Suntory to shift Irish whiskey bottling to Spain and Scotland

Simon Rogan to reopen Hong Kong restaurant

Should Japanese whisky distilleries be tapping into tourism?