In a region known for its tropical climate, where temperatures rarely dip below 25°C and drinkers often gravitate towards refreshing highballs, fruity sours, and easy-drinking spritzes, bartenders have become increasingly obsessed with one of the world's most austere cocktails: the martini. Served ice-cold, crystal clear, and often consisting of little more than spirit and fortified wine, the martini appears to be the antithesis of what Southeast Asia drinks. Yet from Singapo

There’s a strange thing that happens when you’ve spent enough time working in hospitality. You stop being a normal guest. You walk into a bar, café, or restaurant and before you’ve even sat down, your brain is already at work. You notice the lighting. You hear the playlist. You clock the flow of the room, the staff movement, where the side station is, how the space feels. You are consciously not trying to judge. You are just wired this way now. And that is usually where the p

Being in the bar, you see, hear, and experience all kinds of things. It exposes you to countless moments, conversations, and experiences. Some moments are funny, while others may be uncomfortable. I found it beautiful because it is very unpredictable and not repeated every day. The following anecdotes are drawn from observation and being present, not just in the bar I work in, but across other bars I’ve been to. Before engaging in a conversation, I’ve learned to understand th

I don’t have exact statistics, but I’d say 6 out of 10 Flaming Lamborghini orders ended in some kind of mishap — either someone or something getting burned, or something getting broken. The most common accidents involved burning hair — especially women’s hair if they’d used a lot of hair products. I also saw several pairs of (fake?) eyelashes get scorched, many eyebrows, and in one case, a wig . One guest also seared their lips. I’d just served the drink to a group and while