Where to drink this month

Who: The Horse’s Mouth
What: It may take you some time to find this watering hole’s entrance located inside Uma Uma Ramen: a nondescript black door that leads you down a stairwell into a dim, 26-seater bar in the basement. The cocktail list offers a dozen in-house tipples like the Ginger Coriander ($25), a mix of Ketel One vodka, grapefruit, ginger, coriander and honey. The Bloody Mary ($24), which bartender Louis Tan warns is “very intense”, is not for delicate palates: the classic is given a pungent aroma and an oilier touch with an infusion of Kagoshima wagyu extract. #01-41 Forum The Shopping Mall. Tel: 6235 1088

Who KUMO Sake & Whisky bar
What A casual tachinomiya (Japanese standing bar) located in Icon Village (there are some chairs for the ladies, though).  There are the quintessential Japanese bar snacks like oden ($10), a hot dish of fish cakes, boiled eggs, konnyaku and daikon in a dashi broth; and yakitori (from $6). Pick from more than 70 sakes, such as Minokawa Junmai Nigori Sake, a nigori (cloudy) sake; and Senshin Junmai Daiginyo. The whiskies are the trustworthy Nihon single malts like the Hakushu 12 Year Old ($218/bottle) and the Yamazaki 12 Year Old ($218/bottle).  Icon Village #01-46/47, 12 Gopeng Street. Tel: 6225 8445

Excerpt from the May 2013 issue of epicure