What was meant to be a usual drudgery of a Monday was pleasantly elevated the moment I took that elevator up to level 57 and the doors opened welcoming me to the night in store.
I am talking of the recently renovated level 57 of none other than Singapore’s favourite postcard to the world Marina Bay Sands. Thirty thousand free downloads on Unsplash and nineteen thousand licensed images on Getty prove it. And perched at the top, CÉ LA VI is where Theo Watt created bespoke innovative cocktails for just a one-day takeover. This takeover set the tone for rest of the uplifting week to come.
Theo Watt needs no introduction if you move in bar and beverage circles in the region. He is the Australian-born founder of DRiNK Magazine; he spotted a gap in China's bar trade back in 2008 and built what became the region's most respected platform for bar industry education and recognition. He is also the brand ambassador for Luxardo, the legendary Italian spirits house whose hand-plaited straw-wrapped bottles have been a fixture behind serious bars since 1821. That's two centuries of cocktail heritage.
The Sky Bar sits in an alfresco setting where uninterrupted views of Singapore’s skyline stretch across Marina Bay, with CBD towers shimmering in one direction and the glowing domes of Gardens by the Bay in the other. In that moment, I was transported from an ordinary day into one of Southeast Asia’s most dramatically positioned bars.
The vibes and the crowds were full of high-energy drinking their cocktail concoctions compiled using Luxardo and Codiga by Theo Watt himself behind the bar. The unique highlight of the evening was that our favourite classic drinks made with a twist that makes you yearn for more. On the curated menu was a White Negroni. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect until I tried it. The Negroni is a classic, so I wondered what kind of sorcery is this, changing it? Yet it worked.
The White Negroni, more transparent than its ruby-red cousin, looked like a glass of water with ice. The trick was replacing the ever-present Campari with Luxardo, and further lightening the profile with Código’s agave tequila, now a prominent name in Singapore’s high-quality tequila scene. The rest of the lineup included an Espresso Martini, a Código Margarita, and finally a Lemon Highball. The progression moved from alcohol-forward to low-alcohol, ensuring there was something for everyone. A DJ set and diners savouring CÉ LA VI’s snacks made this Monday evening feel anything but ordinary.
Two spirits anchored Watt's menu that evening, and both have the kind of backstory that makes the drink taste better. Luxardo traces back to 1821, when Girolamo Luxardo, consular representative of the Kingdom of Sardinia posted to the Dalmatian city of Zara, turned his wife Maria Canevari's pantry recipe into a commercial distillery. Her rosolio maraschino, made from the local marasca cherry, became the house signature.
They survived the near-total destruction of their distillery in World War II and rebuilt from a single surviving cherry sapling. Similarly, Código tequila has been in production for generations. It finally reached the wider market in 2016. No added sweeteners, no colours, no shortcuts only fully matured agave, local yeast and water filtered through volcanic soil, with the rested expressions aged in French White Oak Napa Valley Cabernet wine barrels.
It’s quite the thrill to see a much-evolved cocktail scene hitting Singapore where us discerning bar hoppers and diners get treated to innovative offerings such as the divine Código and Luxardo-imbibed classics with a twist.
CÉ LA VI Singapore, 1 Bayfront Avenue, Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Tower 3.
