There's something quietly triumphant about a bar that survives a decade in Singapore. In a city where restaurants and bars flicker in and out of existence like fireflies, Gibson has endured—not through gimmicks or reinvention, but by staying stubbornly, elegantly itself.
Tucked on the second floor of a 1930s shophouse on Bukit Pasoh Road, Gibson doesn't announce itself with fanfare. You climb the stairs and find yourself in a space that feels like stepping into someone's very sophisticated living room—if that someone had impeccable taste and an extensive collection of Louis Poulsen lamps. The Art Deco ceiling, the stained-glass back bar, the lighting that makes everyone look like they have a secret—it all conspires to create an atmosphere that's both intimate and celebratory.
Their tenth anniversary menu, aptly named TIMELESS, reveals a bar that's grown more confident in its skin. The dusty pink suede cover of the menu will soften with age and handling, much like the bar itself has mellowed without losing its edge. It's a clever metaphor, really—though Gibson would never be so gauche as to point that out.
Take the MF Martini. On paper, it's straightforward: No. 3 Dry Gin, Cinzano Dry Vermouth, Cocchi Americano, a whisper of orange. But here's where Gibson reveals its knowing wink—it arrives with french fries. Yes, fries. Apparently this is a thing now, particularly in New York, and Gibson has imported the trend with the same easy confidence that makes you forget how odd it sounds. It works. The salty crunch against the botanical bite of a properly dry martini is one of those combinations that makes perfect sense only after you've tried it.
The Maharaja's Mule is where things get interesting. Don Julio Blanco Tequila meets citra hops and ginger beer, then takes an unexpected detour through Fernet Hunter before being crowned with a ginger ale foam. It's complex without being fussy, the kind of drink that rewards attention without demanding it. The hops add an almost beer-like quality that plays beautifully against the spice.
But the Amaretto Sour Affair—this is Gibson showing off. Maker's Mark bourbon butter-washed and combined with amaretto, cherry, roasted peanut and black glutinous rice. Black rice in a cocktail. It's the kind of move that could go terribly wrong, but instead it grounds the drink in something distinctly Southeast Asian, making it both familiar and completely novel. The reference to regional desserts is there if you want to see it, or you can simply enjoy a damn good amaretto sour that happens to have layers.
This is a bar that would thrive anywhere—in New York, London, Tokyo. But it's here, in a Bukit Pasoh shophouse, where it's carved out its space. The bartenders wear comfortable green overshirt jackets that somehow read as both casual and refined. The vibe is serious about craft without taking itself too seriously, that delicate balance that separates good bars from great ones.
Ten years. In Singapore's brutal hospitality landscape, that's not just an achievement—it's a statement. Gibson has proven that sometimes, the best way to stay relevant is to remain timeless.
a. 20 Bukit Pasoh Rd, #2nd Floor, Singapore 089834
fb. www.facebook.com/gibsonbarsg
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Gibson Celebrates 10 Years with the Launch of TIMELESS Anniversary Menu
