Craft bartending meets artisanal spirits at Manhattan, which celebrate the classic and forgotten cocktails of 19th-century New York. Based on level II of the Conrad Singapore Orchard hotel, this contemporary yet classic bar is one of the best known in Asia and takes the Golden Age of cocktails as a starting point for its talented and ambitious bar team.

The space itself is a showstopper: black lacquer panels, Italian marble, a grand feature staircase, walls lined with patterned, woven linen – no expense has been spared when it comes to creating a space that transports guests from Southeast Asia to The Big Apple. The bar itself is a striking focal point with 300 illuminated bottles displayed against a backdrop of Turkish and Italian stone which has been scalloped into a classic art deco design.

Service at Manhattan is classic and gives guests a seriously elevated experience as soon as they’re seated at their table. Each and every guest will get an ‘amuse bouche’ welcome cocktail to kick off proceedings, and can be tailored to their own preferences. There is also the bar’s signature spice popcorn, and water is offered warm as a nod to the preferences of many Asian guests, showcasing the bar’s appreciation of local culture too.

Menus change on an annual basis and the current menu, Broadway Spirited, is the perfect example of the team’s creativity and imagination when it comes to cocktail creation, execution and storytelling, all tied into the overarching theme of the bar. It features 34 cocktails divided into five categories: The Play (iconic shows), The Orchestra (guest mixologists), The Backstage (a nod to the in-house ageing programme), The Curtain Call (favourites from old menus), and Off Broadway (non-alcoholic). The physical menu itself is also a work of art with cut-out illustrations, theatre tickets and fun Easter eggs referencing Broadway characters for guests to find while they’re choosing.

Techniques – distillation, blending and sous vide – are all par for the course in a bar of this calibre, but Manhattan is best known for its Barrel-Aged Cocktail Programme, where cocktails are aged in a variety of casks for differing periods of time. The Barrel-Aged Manhattan is the bar’s signature cocktail and is aged in custom oak barrels over eight weeks, then presented to guests from a Manhattan Trolley that attracts the attention of the entire room.

Other details are well thought out too, such as the curated music programme from DJ Patrick Oliver which blends classic rock’n’roll with jazz, soul and blues. More theatre is added with a dedicated ice station behind the bar for the bartenders to carve large blocks from in front of guests.

When it comes to staff hiring and management – the bar works with local employment agencies and hospitality schools to harness talent from underserved communities, and regularly assesses the makeup of their team against the local population to ensure representation and inclusivity. As well as having access to a vast training library, through Hilton’s global mobility program, team members are able to travel for shifts at other Hilton bars worldwide to broaden their horizons and upskill.