Hotels

Republic Bar Singapore review: Looking for service with full attention? A destination bar within a discerning setting and a strong dedication to cocktail innovation? Look no further than The Ritz Lounge (renamed from Republic Lounge) and its Republic Bar, and where guests can enjoy multiple daily F&B adventures throughout each day!

Happy Hour Asia couldn’t be more excited about the first visit to this discerning Republic Bar, housed at the hotel of one of the world’s best hotel brands: The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore at Marina Bay.

Entering into the lounge proper daylight penetrates through its atrium-like ceiling. With the bended high ceiling the setting resembles something of a classic, French train station hall. Its ceiling glass is frosted in a kind of ice cream colour. The interior feels very European but with Chinese floral décor on ceiling lamps as contrast.

On a Saturday afternoon, The Ritz Lounge is filled with discerning guests, enjoying service like no other, the one of The Ladies & The Gentlemen! The staff here are very courteous and social, always ready to take time for conversations with the guests. It is the signature Ritz-Carlton service ethos shining through here, just as at their properties elsewhere we have experienced in Asia!

Afternoon tea (aside cocktails, breakfast, lunch and dinner also being served). is a big thing here at the lounge, and tables set up with three-tier trays and bespoke porcelain. There is a live pianist and partition walls of padded brown-purple leather separate the room into section along the middle. Seats come in weaved rattan and colonial-resort style – appropriate as a nod to Singapore as a tropical outpost in the past. Afternoon tea are served in two sessions: 1st Session 12pm to 2.30pm and the 2nd Session 3pm to 5.30pm., and where guests can top up with exclusive Ritz-Carlton Rothschild Champagne!

Republic Bar Singapore review: a multitude of spirits

But the centre of attention in this coverage is the swanky Republic Bar, which opens in the late afternoon – adjacent in a side room to the lounge and which is also filled with daylight from floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Marina Bay and nearby Marina Bay Sands, turning into a much darker setting in the evening.

The – in contrast to the lounge – low-slung bar comes with venetian glass walls, and a a wide, square bar with multitude of spirits displayed on multi-tier shelves as an appealing backdrop. And there are plenty of discoveries among the vast selection, such as The Peat Monster whisky with for a blended malt scotch a very unusual bottle sticker depicting that imagined monster. Or Brass Lion from Singapore’s first full-fledged micro-distillery, which specializes in handcrafted gins using local Southeast Asian botanicals!

Furniture – in addition to bar stools – mainly consist in polished blonde wood-and-leather (wine/raspberry red-hued), and with lovely round brass table counters, and with mushroom style brass table lamps. There is also semi-private configuration, where a thick leather partition encircles twin seats.

If seated at the bar, the tilted leather support along the marble bar counter’s sides forms a distinct design feature.

This destination bar does not lack accolades; more recently including Tatler Best Singapore 2025 – Best 20 Bars; Travel + Leisure Singapore Tastemakers 2024: Best 10 Bars; and Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 – No. 16!

Upon the visit, the ‘Breakthroughs’ signature cocktail theme menu Volume 3 is at the centre of attention as the liquid journey for this review.

Republic Bar lays the foundation as follows: “The 1960s witnessed the rise of individualism and freedom of expression. Seismic changes were afoot, and global counterculture was burgeoning. The newly independent Republic of Singapore took a front row seat to this era, embracing it with grace, poise and determination.”

Republic Bar Singapore review: cocktail breakthroughs

Volume 3 features a collection of iconic breakthroughs across the decade, with the promise of vibrant flavours, audacious ingredients and bold sensations that defined this era. Icons that influenced a generation; Innovations that propelled humanity; Media that broadened our thinking; and Aesthetics that challenged convention.

Happy Hour Asia representing media, it is course cool to have a ‘Media’ selection as part of this imbibing on liquid history too!

And a few words need to be said also about the menu artwork. As a cleverly fold-out cocktail menu, it comes with four sides in each direction from a centre-page, Each in a different colour and an introduction on one side and the cocktail list on the opposite for each section.

Media: “The 1960’s saw the rise of media’s influence. From juicy tabloid gossip to the nightly sitcom, entertainment was everywhere, in every form, and the appetite was insatiable.”

The pick (based on personal choice) falls on ‘Woman Of The Year’ (praising Singaporean women increasingly getting attention in the 60’s), and because it is made with an Asian-made spirit: East Indies Bali Pomelo Pink Gin, and with sparkling wine, Cointreau, ginger chilli honey, citrus and edible gold stars. It comes served in a champagne glass and with a diagonal gold rim added vertically on the outside. The ginger and chilli balanced by hone certainly gives the good-looking drink character.

Icons: “These trailblazing figures sparked waves of change which defined a decade of transformation, rebellion and style. Their legendary impact still echoes powerfully to this day.”

The ‘Twiggy’ cocktail is named after one of the first international supermodels and a fashion icon of the 1960s, who redefined style with her striking looks and dramatic eyes.

The digestif drink very much has the look of a latte, due to its chocolate coffee cream liqueur, Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur and espresso ingredients, in addition to simple syrup, earl grey tea and with Grey Goose vodka as base.

Other icons celebrated by Breakthroughs: Lee Kuan Yew, the visionary leader who paved the
way for modern Singapore and Muhammad Ali.

Moving on to Innovation: “Marked by groundbreaking inventions, defined by a decade of audacious dreams and bold risk-takers, the era encapsulates a society in motion.”

The inspiration is the modern engineering marvel that propelled high-speed rail travel
around Japan. ‘Bullet Train’ is served in martini glass and decorated with a seaweed rice cracker, elegantly placed on a round silver tray. It’s made with four alcoholic spirits; Suntory Haku vodka, green chartreuse, Matcha sake, Ricard Pastis de Marseille, and clarified apple juice, milk and added to that – to form a strong and semi-transparent orange cocktail.

Visually an iconic period emerging from the geometric fifties, the sixties tested the boundaries of abstract expression and birthed innovative designs, embodying a decade of cultural revolution and creative experimentation.

And what cold then be a more symbolic product for the era than the Egg chair, here the inspiration and also the name for a cocktail. ‘Egg Chair’ comes served on a metal-framed porcelain tray, where the mixed drink ingredients come in a mini decanter (to be poured over the large, square ice cube inside the adjacent glass) placed in a round egg chair-inspired porcelain bowl! Creative indeed! “A cue from nature, enclosed comfort and nurturing cocoon
shielded from the outside world.”

The ingredients include The Macallan Sherry Oak 12YO, Laphroaig 10YO, Campari (which, along with raspberry purée, gives the drink its dominant colour), Nusantara Cold Brew Liqueur (a premium, award-winning craft coffee liqueur produced in Bali we learn), lemon juice, cream, and dark and raspberry chocolate. Like the negroni this is a stimulating drink.

Volume 3 is a ‘limited edition’, and rather than going through all the drinks, and their respective stories, guests can head for Republic Bar and expect to be able to explore a new and equally curious cocktail menu, such as Volume 4, or other future concepts.

Republic Bar Singapore review: Bar Bites beyond belief

The bar bites served with Volume 3 are second to none and turns out to be just as sumptuous as their looks, and where Chef Raj has made that the food takes inspiration from the social and cultural trends of the 1960s.

And for the bar menu graphic design we cannot avoid noticing the vintage style font being used for titles: It’s just discerning and timeless!

For any lover of the Murtabak dish, the Wagyu beef Murtabak pancake is just of this world how delicious (and Asian) it is, served with shaved coconut salad and Thai chilli fish sauce.

Sweet Corn Tempura (with chilli jam and black garlic aioli) comes cone-shaped and with chilli jam on top of the aioli buried inside the cones. Yummy!

Other examples are Kueh Pie Tee (Shrimp omelette, charred red chilli sauce, fermented radish and crab jelly); Fragrant crab laksa spring roll with quail egg and smoked chilli curry; or Chicken tikka meatballs (with caramelised coconut paratha and flame-roasted tomato) – bar bites that goes to show that here the creativity level is high, presenting something that is quite beyond the usual bar bites.

So yes, Happy Hour Asia look forward to returning for more of these super bar bites and more creative cocktails!

Republic Bar also offers happy hour, with three generous and prime time hours, from 5.00 pm-8.00 pm, when guests buy 1 to get 1 free on selections of ‘Cocktail by Hendricks Gin’, house sines, and house beer (subject to change).