ATLAS launches the ‘Simple Pleasures’ drinking menu. Designed and developed by Head Bartender Lidiyanah’ Yana’ K and the ATLAS team, this menu celebrates the simplicity of well-made cocktails and the pleasures that transcend time.
Explore the origins of four classic cocktails – Martini, Sour, Old Fashioned, and the Champagne Cocktail – each with a beautifully illustrated chapter, commemorating the timeless indulgence of leisurely pursuits with a nod to drinking history.
In each category, you will find insight into the cocktail’s heritage, followed by five drinks in this style, one being ATLAS’ signature version and four modern interpretations of this classic, including a no-alcohol interpretation.
With an innovative step toward greater transparency to aid guests in navigating the cocktails, each drink notes its Alcohol by Volume (ABV) percentage. This allows patrons to order according to their expectations and tailor their drinking journey to suit; the higher the percentage, the punchier the drink. Conversely, a drink with a lower percentage is expected to be lighter.
Within the Martini category, you will find the Montgomery 21.6% (S$24), named for a specific style of Martini. This herbaceous cocktail is built upon mint tea-infused vodka, dry vermouth and absinthe, and comes with a garnish of olive oil caviar. Yana recommends tasting the drink before adding the garnish to appreciate how it changes the texture and body of the cocktail once its oils are released.
Each chapter opens with a cocktail made in the milk punch style. Within the Sours category, you will find the Ode To Odyssey 7.2% (S$22), ATLAS’ take on the notoriously labour-intensive Ramos Gin Fizz. An egg white substitute, AER, recreates the unique mouthfeel while keeping an eye on sustainability. The Ode To Odyssey, made with Australian shiraz gin, clarified milk and a toasted raisin-cinnamon syrup, is a creamy, sweet, yet surprisingly refreshing concoction.
From the Old Fashioned chapter, the Valley Of The Ashes (S$25), with an abv of 23.5%, making it the second most potent drink in its category, presents a stiff drink. Take a bite of the delicate chocolate tuile garnish, made in-house, for a sweet balance to the smokey nature of the cocktail.
ATLAS offers no-alcohol cocktails crafted with the same attention to flavour and technique as their alcoholic counterparts. It presents an opportunity for those who do not wish to partake in alcohol to come together and appreciate the balance of flavours that go into a good cocktail. In the Champagne Cocktail category, one can find Hope On The Horizon no-alcohol (S$14). The non-alcoholic version of the Champagne Cocktail uses kombucha and yuzu to mimic its flavours. Inspired by the classic ATLAS French 75 21.1% (S$26), it is finished with a table-side pour of kumquat, pomegranate syrup, and lime juice.
At the turn of the 20th century, a cocktail renaissance was afoot – it was a time of creativity, indulgence, and excess, and it paved the way for the modern cocktail culture we enjoy today. ATLAS seeks to reignite the drinking traditions of this era by underscoring the timeless nature of these iconic cocktails and their ability to resonate with people across generations.