Cover Founder of Nutmeg & Clove, Colin Chia, with a martini in Nutmeg & Clove for their 10th anniversary
Founder of Nutmeg & Clove, Colin Chia, with a martini in Nutmeg & Clove for their 10th anniversary
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The revered cocktail bar boasts a brand new look and feel, but the warm hospitality remains. Find out how founder Colin Chia and his team have raised the “proudly Singaporean” bar to its success today
When Singaporean bar Nutmeg & Clove landed at the No.7 spot in the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 awards ceremony, it set a new personal best for the F&B team in the notoriously challenging cocktail bar scene where existing bars quickly lose their shine if they don’t keep up.
In the last decade, the cocktail bar has also evolved into a full-fledged food and beverage group called the Nutmeg Collective, with concepts such as Last Word, a cocktail speakeasy focusing on forgotten classic cocktails; Draft Land, the Singaporean outpost of the award-winning Taiwanese draft cocktail concept; Tess Bar & Kitchen, a casual food and drink concept; Chuan by Nutmeg, an extension of the flagship bar located on the 60th floor of UOB Plaza, adjoining Chinese restaurant Si Chuan Dou Hua.
For Nutmeg Collective founder Colin Chia, the process of building his boozy empire wasn’t a bed of roses. So how did it all come together? Tatler Dining sat down with the ringmaster and group director Shelley Tai to find out more about their journey and what the future holds for them.
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Above Chia taking a final look before Nutmeg & Clove moved out of Ann Siang Hill in 2020
Chia taking a final look before Nutmeg & Clove moved out of Ann Siang Hill in 2020
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Looking back
A decade ago, there were only a few pioneering cocktail bars in Singapore such as Tippling Club, once ahead of its time with its experimental approach towards molecular cocktails; Jigger & Pony, for classic Japanese cocktails; and 28 Hongkong Street, slinging out American classics. “But no one was telling stories of Singapore through the medium of cocktails at that time,” shares Chia. To fill that gap in the market, he left his role as APAC commercial head at Diageo Reserve to open Nutmeg & Clove on Ann Siang Hill in 2014.
When it came to naming the bar, Nutmeg & Clove came about as a homage to Chia’s heritage as well as the original location’s history. Ann Siang Hill was once a nutmeg and clove plantation during the 1800s while Chia’s grandfather, who was a Chinese immigrant, made a living working in the spice trade. “We even debuted with a cocktail menu that was spice-oriented.” Later, Nutmeg & Clove landed itself on the No.72 spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2016.
Despite that, Chia didn’t allude to instant success. “Troubles with the landlord saw us move within the Ann Siang enclave in 2016 and once more in 2020 because of the pandemic. With Covid came many restrictions. We quickly found ourselves inoperable as we held a bar license that only allowed the sale of alcohol. We also couldn’t pivot as we did not have a kitchen back then,” quips Chia. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, he decided to move out which meant giving up all that the bar had achieved, including the ranking streak in Asia’s 50 best bars, and starting from scratch again.
“Everything I do with my business needs to be emotional,” says Chia. In 2021, Nutmeg & Clove found themselves a new home on Purvis Street, a street which Chia’s family once owned and lived in a shophouse before. “Although Purvis (street) is known to be a Hainanese settlement, I wanted something relatable to my family and that is why we moved here.”
Above Nutmeg Collective group director Shelley Tai
Nutmeg Collective group director Shelley Tai
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A leap of faith
With the new location, Chia needed a new team to elevate and he has always been a fan of current Nutmeg Collective group director Shelley Tai. They first met in December 2019, right before the pandemic struck, in a cocktail masterclass that Chia orchestrated when he was in Hong Kong. Tai who headlined Quinary—an award-winning Hong Kong multisensory cocktail concept—is widely recognised for her creativity and charisma. However, Chia was initially hesitant since she was working with his close friend, Antonio Lai, owner of Quinary.
During the pandemic, when Chia first found out that Tai was going to leave for greener pastures in New York, he jumped at the opportunity to ask her to join the collective. Tai agreed within two days. “I think it's the best decision I’ve made in my business,” reveals Chia. Before coming on board, Tai, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, had only visited Singapore twice—once, when she was a child and the other in 2019 when she visited the Lion City for a cocktail festival.
Her first task? To push out a brand new cocktail menu in just two months. “I knew that it was going to be challenging because Nutmeg & Clove is a cocktail bar that tells Singaporean stories and I wasn’t entirely sure if I was able to deliver,” explains Tai. But that did not faze the Hong Kong bartender. Instead, she dived deep into the complex multicultural fabric of Singapore to develop the cocktails. “I spent a lot of time talking to people, not just Singaporeans but also guests who come from around the region. And when I am off work, I frequent Tekka Market in Little India quite a bit as I found that they have a lot of local herbs and spices.”
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Above Ramos at Home
Above Michael Jackson Punch
Ramos at Home
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When asked about their most memorable creations, Chia reminisced about the “Ramos at Home”. A hot seller from the previous menu, combining the flavours of a classic Singapore sling and the style of the cult favourite Ramos gin fizz, to pay tribute to Singaporean singer and actress Kit Chan, who sang the iconic Singapore National Day Parade song, Home. “There was also one year when Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling won the Olympic gold medal for the country, so we made the stylo milo, a milo-based cocktail to pay tribute to the Olympic gold medalist,” he continues. As for Tai, it was the "Michael Jackson Punch", inspired by the everyday drink order of combining soybean milk with grass jelly. “I tried it when he (Colin) bought it for me on my first visit to a hawker centre and the flavours stood out.”
Throughout the years, the team at Nutmeg & Clove found their unique style that shakes up an intangible romance about Singapore and its rich history in cocktails. “There are still so many stories to showcase about Singapore, some of which Singaporeans may not even remember. For tourists, it presents an opportunity to learn something about our beautiful city. That has always been the aim where we do our best to represent Singapore well,” adds Chia. “I wouldn’t say it’s the best cocktails in the world but we’re definitely a lot more professional than when we first started a decade ago.”
Above Tai and the Nutmeg & Clove team at Asia’s 50 Best Bar 2023 award ceremony held in Hong Kong’s Rosewood Hotel
Tai and the Nutmeg & Clove team at Asia’s 50 Best Bar 2023 award ceremony held in Hong Kong’s Rosewood Hotel
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Towards the future
Never easy distilling ten years into words but Chia fondly recalls when Nutmeg & Clove achieved its highest ranking ever in Asia’s 50 Best Bar 2023 awards: “After the awards, we knew we had to celebrate with our guests because, without them, we’re nothing. We threw a party where drinks were all priced at $7 to commemorate the win at placing No.7 spot. In the end, the bar was trashed but everyone was happy.”
Today, Chia no longer works behind the bar. “I focus more on the storytelling. I leave the difficult parts, like drink conceptualisation and flavour extraction, to Shelley and the team. I only know how to make a good martini, that’s all,” chuckles Chia. “We are aware that consumer behaviours continue to change.” On the culinary frontier, Chia—despite his love for chicken wings and fries—is a big advocate for bars to step up in their food offerings and feels that “the bar industry has got space for good food programmes”.
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Kaya cream toast
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Putting money where his mouth is, Chia recently engaged new head chef Bernstein Lim—formerly of Park Bench Deli—in hopes of elevating the overall culinary direction of both Nutmeg & Clove and Last Word. Lim’s knack for modern Asian cuisine sees local favourites reinterpreted with international flair. His latest creations include a Teochew braised duck rice-inspired arancini, doused in savoury egg sauce with sambal mayo; crispy snapper and braised young jackfruit drizzled with sweet and sour sauce, reminiscent of the hearty ikan asam pedas (sour and spicy fish); and a toothsome dessert of French toast layered with kaya crème and a sprinkle of flaky salt.
Guests aren’t the only ones who are reaping the benefits of the new chef at the helm. Behind the scenes, Lim also prepares delicious staff meals. “He’s feeding the team well and everyone is putting on weight,” jokes Chia. Tai, on the other hand, thinks that there are no specific new trends but rather an evolution of them. “After the pandemic, more consumers, especially the young, are looking for low and non-alcoholic drinks as compared to the past,” she weighs in.
Above Ten: new cocktail menuzine
Ten: new cocktail menuzine
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In the prospect of the future where trends often come and go, Chia isn’t looking to disrupt with lofty blueprints. Instead, he remains firm on providing genuine hospitality to all guests. “We’re just like your neighbourhood bar where you can come and feel comfortable over a drink with really good food. We shall continue to tell stories about Singapore today, and still do so five years from now.” To commemorate 10 years, Nutmeg & Clove’s new cocktail menu is aptly named Ten, featuring 25 cocktails; each harkens back to memories of key events that occurred over the past ten years.
Today, the extensive rebranding exercise, in collaboration with Hong Kong-based branding agency Labaleine52, injects vibrance and energy into the Nutmeg & Clove aesthetic. It brandishes fresh new interiors, new branding logos, new merchandise, and a new locally-inspired food menu. As for those looking for a cause to celebrate, Chia affirms that there will be a birthday bash happening in May at Nutmeg & Clove. “It’s going to be a big one. I’ll bring in bartenders, who are also friends, from the best bars from as far as Peru, Mexico, Rome and Paris. There will be events and masterclasses,” he teases. “I kid you not, I’ve never spent this much money before.”
