JAYDEN ONG

Nutmeg & Clove

Jayden Ong, the senior bartender at Nutmeg & Clove, found her groove behind the bar after graduating from the National University of Singapore. Starting out at rum-centric Sugarhall, she discovered that she enjoyed the people-facing aspect of her role, encouraging shy customers to chat about flavours and spirits. But her skills are all-rounded, from showcasing Johnnie

Walker whisky as an ambassador to coming in first-runner-up at the Diageo World Class

2017 Singapore competition. She’s one of two Singapore-based bartenders to compete in the 2019 Asia edition of the female-only Speed Rack competition, which emphasises speed, accuracy and aptitude, and placed in the top four in 2017. “To me, good flavour is most essential,” she says. “I look up to the Japanese style of perfecting cocktail techniques and the gastronomic approach to cocktails in the West.” Competitions bring out her creativity, storytelling and discipline. “Creativity is a practice. Through a wide exposure of things, cross-pollination happens when I get inspired by ideas from the forms of arts. Discipline is working on different iterations of the same drink to get the best-tasting one that I can present.”

“I draw inspiration from past memories—be it food, music or art. I find that people enjoy a cocktail more when there’s a good story behind it.”

TAKE A SIP: “For Diageo World Class 2017, I made a local twist on the espresso martini, as it’s such a well-loved cocktail in bars. My Kopi & Kaya is made with Ketel One vodka, kaya jam, espresso, gula Melaka and a whole egg, and is garnished with a Love Letter wafer. All these are ingredients you can obtain from the supermarket, so you can make it at home.”