Sometimes you want to throw a cocktail party that feels glamorous, but doesn't take that much work. We get it.
We've put together cocktail and mocktail recipes that are tropical and fruity and very, very Singapore. They're made with easy-to-get-local ingredients and instead of boring measuring, we've measured in parts.
So, as long as you use the same glass or cup for all your measurements, you'll be fine. (This is also handy because - in the absence of actual party guests due to SG's current limit on gathering sizes - you may want to make smaller batches. But no judgement!)
Tequila Sunrise Singapore-Style
Ingredients + How To Make
- 3 parts Tequila
- 6 parts Orange Juice
- 1 part Pink Guava Juice
- Slices of fresh lime or orange for garnish
- Fill a glass with ice
- Combine tequila and orange juice in a jug, Stir and pour over ice
- Slowly pour in Pink Guava Juice, and let it sink to the bottom
- Do not stir. Garnish with a slice of lime and serve
Tip: Mix orange juice and Tequila ahead in a big jug. Slice your limes. Leave everything in the fridge until you’re ready to make the magic happen.
Sentosa Sea Breeze Cocktail
Ingredients + How To Make
- 1 part Vodka
- 1 part Pineapple Juice
- 1 part Cranberry juice
- Fresh Pineapple slices for garnish
- Fresh mint leaves to garnish.
Combine all liquids in a blender, whizz it up. Decorate glass with a fresh slice of pineapple. A great choice is the South East Asian Josephine pineapple – it’s smaller, sweeter and easier to eat (and cut) than the giant woody pineapples you get from Hawaii.
Tip: How do you know a pineapple is ripe? Pull out a few leaves from the top. If they come out easily and smell like pineapple, it’s ripe.
Enter The Dragon Fruit Cocktail
Ingredients + How To Make
- 1 part Vodka
- 1/2 pink flesh Dragon fruit
- 1/2 cup Crushed ice
- 1/2 cup Coconut water
- Optional: 1/2 cup lime juice
Slice the top off the dragon fruit. The peel is soft so you can just peel it back with your fingers.
Or use a spoon to scoop out flesh inside and leave the peel whole – you can use it as a serving glass, because you’re so fancy. Add vodka, fruit, coconut water and crushed ice to a blender.
Pulse a few times to combine.
Taste it… if you like more tang, add lime juice. Pulse again. Pour and serve. This mix also makes a great mocktail – add more coconut water and leave out the vodka.
Tip: Dragon Fruit is a the fruit of a tropical cactus and it’s very high in Vitamin C. The outside peel is always bright pink but the flesh inside is either white or bright pink. Both taste like a crunchy watermelon crossed with kiwi fruit.
Lemonade and Pomegranate Jewels Mocktail
Ingredients + How To Make
- 1 part sparkling lemonade or sparkling water
- 1 fresh Pomegranate fruit, seeds removed (see tip below)
- or 1/2 part pomegranate juice
- Fresh mint leaves to decorate
- Thin sliced fresh lemon slices to decorate
In a tall glass, pour in a tablespoon of fresh pomegranate seeds, or around 1/4 cup of pomegranate juice. Top with lemonade or sparkling water – you’re aiming for layers of colour. Garnish with slices of lemon and fresh mint. Serve with a long spoon or straw so guests can mix their own drink.
Tip: It can be tricky to separate pomegranate seeds from the pith inside the fruit. An easy trick is to fill a bowl with cold water. Slice the pomegranate open. Then break it apart under the water and use your fingers to pull out the seeds. They float to the top of the water – you just skim them off.
Sembawang Port Screwdriver
Ingredients + How To Make
- 1 part Vodka
- 2 parts Pineapple Juice
- 1 part Crushed Ice (optional, but nice in Singapore’s heat)
- Fresh Pineapple wedges to decorate
- Or decorate with Orchid flowers
Add vodka, pineapple juice and crushed ice to a blender. Whizz till slushy. Serve in a short glass and garnish with a chunk of fresh pineapple or an individual orchid flower. And why not? Orchid flower stalks are just $2 in Singapore, and each stalk has 7-10 flowers.
Tip: Cheapest places to buy bunches of tropical flowers in Singapore? Chinatown wetmarket or Tekka wetmarket or inside the giant coolrooms at Ji Mei Flowers, 7 Joan Road, or the coolrooms at Far East Flowers
Huat Ah Aperol Spritz Cocktail
Ingredients + How To Make
- Ice cubes
- 3 parts Prosecco or sparkling wine
- 3 parts Aperol or Campari
- Splash of Soda Water
Fill the glasses generously with ice cubes. Pour Prosecco over the ice. Add Aperol and finish with a dash of soda. Garnish with a slice of orange.
Since you asked, Aperol is a low-strength aperitif made from rhubarb, orange, herbs and roots preserved in 11% alcohol. It was originally served as a medicine, much like Chinese herbal medicine is served in Singapore today.
Tip: Huat Ah is a Singlish slang yelled for “Luck” at festive times like Chinese New Year, or to launch a new venture. It translates from Hokkien as “Rising” – like the sun. Discover more Singlish here
Cucumber + Calamansi Lime Detox Mocktail
Ingredients + How To Make
- Big bottle Sparkling Water
- 1 Japanese cucumber, sliced
- Slices of Calamansi lime, or Lemon
- Mint leaves to decorate
Pour everything into a large jug or bottle, top with ice-cubes and serve. Japanese cucumber is best for this drink because the seeds are smaller and the slices stay crisp.
Tip: Calamansi or Golden Lime is a hybrid of orange and kumquat. It’s less tart than a normal lime and is widely used in South East Asian food and drinks. Like all citrus, it’s rich in vitamins C, A, plus it has potassium and calcium. Some studies show it can help lower cholesterol levels and increase immunity.
Goji and Red Date Mocktail
Ingredients + How To Make
- 1/2 cup dried Goji berries or wolf berries
- 8 Chinese Red Dates or Jujube (these are not Arabian Dates)
- 8-10 cups water
- Chunk of rock sugar
Rinse Goji berries under cool water. In a pot, combine the berries, Red Dates and water. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for an hour.
If you like a sweeter drink, add rock sugar and simmer until it dissolves. Strain and put liquid in the fridge to cool (you can eat the dates and berries if you want). Serve drink cold over ice, garnished with mint.
Goji berries can be eaten hot, cold or raw. They’re very high in antioxidants and are used in Chinese medicine to detoxify the liver, kidney and lungs. But if you are taking diabetes medicines or blood thinners like Warfarin, speak with your doctor first before you take any herbal ingredients.
Tip: You can get all the ingredients above at Singapore supermarkets. Fairprice On delivers, or you can order online and click-and-collect at your nearest branch.
Watermelon and Fresh Ginger Granita Drink
Ingredients + How To Make
- 1 Watermelon
- 1 chunk of Young Ginger root, about the size of your thumb
- 2 fresh Lime or 2 Calamansi golden lime
- 1/2 bunch of fresh Mint, to decorate
- Bag of ice cubes, to make more crushed ice
- Vodka is optional
Cut the watermelon in half. Cut off a few slices to use as decoration. Wrap the slices in foil and place in the fridge or freezer. Chop the rest of the watermelon fruit into chunks, picking out as many seeds as you can. Roughly chop or grate the ginger – Young Ginger has a thin skin, so there’s no need to peel it.
Finely grate Calamansi lime to make zest, squeeze out all the juice. Place it all in a large sealable freezer bag. Freeze overnight until it’s rock hard. Don’t add vodka to this bag because it stops the watermelon freezing.
Before guests arrive, tip frozen watermelon mix into a blender. Add a few ice cubes. If you want to add Vodka, add a slug and blitz into a pink slushy snow. Serve topped with a chunk of frozen watermelon.
Tip: Young Ginger is believed to be more “cooling” – so it’s better for cocktails. But if you prefer more “bite” in your drink, use Old Ginger, and slice off any woody bits. Old Ginger is believed to be more “heaty”. You can find both types in Singapore supermarkets and wet markets.
Temasek Tropical Rum Punch
Ingredients + How To Make
- Bag of ice cubes
- 1 part Vodka
- 1 part Gin
- 1 part Rum
- 1/2 part Orange liquor
- 1/2 part Lemon juice
- Big bottle of Cola, to top up the drink
- Mint leaves, to decorate
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour the vodka, gin, rum, orange liquor and lemon juice into the shaker. Cover and shake well to combine and chill.
Pour the mixture, including ice, into glasses so they’re a quarter full, then top up with cola. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.
Tip: You can make this ahead, except for the cola. Put in a jug in the fridge until guests arrive.
Fragrant and Fruity Gin Punch
Ingredients + How To Make
- 2-3 springs fresh Rosemary herb
- 2 cups of any fresh firm fruits, sliced or cut into cubes
- 1 part Gin
- 1-2 parts Tonic Water
- Slices of Lemon, Lime or Starfruit to decorate
- Sprigs of Rosemary to decorate
- For mocktails, use sparkling Lemonade instead of Gin and Tonic
Set aside 1/3 of the fruit and 1/2 of the Rosemary for decoration. In a big bowl, slightly crush the rest of the fruits and rosemary. You can use a pestel, or the end of a rolling pin or the back of a wooden spoon.
If you’re using Gin, add about half a cup to cover the fruit.
Let the mixture sit overnight in the fridge until it’s fruity and fragrant. To serve, pour into a jug and top with 1 part Gin to 2 parts Tonic. Decorate with slices of Lemons or Starfruit, a handful of fruit pieces, and sprigs of Rosemary.
Tip: This punch is great for parties because it works with any firm fruit. Try using blueberries, strawberries, sliced Jambu Merah, sliced starfruit, cubes of dragon fruit… so fancy.
This article was first published in The Finder.
