Stay Gold Flamingo

Situated at the bend of Amoy Street is a new Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-esque watering hole. The name Stay Gold Flamingo breaks the space into two parts — a café by day (Flamingo) and a bar by night (Stay Gold), where each area is separated by a velvet curtain.

The space, which opened last August, is co-founded by two homegrown bartenders, Jerrold Khoo and Bi JiaWei. The concept is anchored in the Stay Gold bar, a dimly-lit modern cocktail lounge that’s illuminated by neon lights and a mirrored low ceiling — the latter is a feature that’s meant for a dance space, an idea that will come to fruition when crowds are back again.

The mixology style at Stay Gold is a fusion of American and Japanese bartending, where dexterity and meticulous craft result in creative and well-executed tipples. Intro to Absinthe is a cocktail that’s highly recommended and a great one to start with. It’s mixed with sparkling coconut juice making it a real thirst-quencher, with the addition of clarified earl grey tea. Each drink is kept simple using just three ingredients, based on the “holy trinity” ideology. While there is no order in terms of alcohol strength, classic favorites square off against more experimental concoctions on the opposite page. This would reference that A Perfect Sazerac, a Remy Martinbased cocktail, gives a sweeter, fuller, and rounder finish compared to the absinthe, with the addition of Michter’s rye, bitters, and just a spray of absinthe for that floral finish on the nose.