On my recent trip to Singapore, Japanese drinks seemed to follow me everywhere. At Jigger & Pony, a stylish new cocktail bar in an old part of Chinatown, the first thing I noticed was the selection of around 20 Suntory and Nikka whiskies that lined the backlit shelves, along with Coedo beer. Perhaps it was a fluke, I thought — after all, the bar manager, Akihiro Eguchi, is Japanese.
"Japanese whisky is really popular now," he told me before adding, "A lot of bars are using Japanese drinks such as sake to make cocktails, too."
Singapore's Joo Chiat neighborhood, known for its hawker fare and colonial architecture, was the last place I'd expected to find a restaurant serving Japanese whisky. But local chef Damian Da Silva insists that it's the best match for the spicy Peranakan cuisine he serves at his Immigrants Gastrobar. When asked for a drink recommendation, the chef brought out a glass of Nikka From the Barrel Single Cask.