Origin Bar Singapore – POV Cocktails, Zero-Proof Magic and a Detour to Origin Grill
TL;DR: We started with pre‑dinner drinks at Origin Bar, slipped into Origin Grill for steak and sides, then wandered back to the bar for after‑dinner cocktails and a Barnes & Brown zero‑proof tasting – all under one Shangri‑La roof.
Location: Tower Wing, Lobby Level, 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore
Email: dining.sls@shangri-la.com
Phone: (65) 6213 4398
Origin Grill Hours: Lunch – Daily 12:00pm to 2:30pm (last order 2:00pm) · Dinner – Daily 6:00pm to 10:00pm (last order 9:30pm)
Sliding into Origin Bar – A Living Room for Grown-Ups
Origin Bar talks about community, about serving as a focal point for regional entertainment and social interaction – and you feel that the moment you sit down. It’s luxurious without being stiff, playful without ever losing its polish.
Their commitment to “surpassing expectations” sounds like brochure copy until you watch the room in motion: bartenders checking in, guests chatting across the bar, and drinks arriving with just the right amount of theatre.
POV – The Way They See It
The current menu is POV – The Way We See It, a continuation of Origin Bar’s curious journey through flavours and ideas. It’s their lens on the world, distilled into three chapters: Reimagined (new life for past classics and concepts), New Era (drinks that speak to today’s challenges) and Boundless (where imagination takes over).
POV is also their legacy piece – a canvas for creating something fresh, different and exhilarating while still being easy to understand. What might look straightforward to most people is viewed through a very different lens behind this bar.
Pre-Dinner: No Offense and a Barnes & Brown Tasting
My wife opened with No Offense, a cocktail that comes with a cheeky little garnish and a flavour profile that leans into popcorn, apricot and rum. It’s punchy, creamy and just the right amount of naughty, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
On this particular visit I was there with my own Barnes & Brown bottles for a tasting, not because they’re already part of the regular bar line‑up. The team used Lady Juniper, our gin‑inspired zero‑proof spirit, in a version of Ants & Bees to see how it behaved in one of their builds.
They followed that with Carrot Cake using Southern Belle Bourbon, again purely as a way to test how the spirit worked in their style of drink. It’s based on British carrot cake rather than the local hawker classic – they actually make the real dessert, then fold it into the cocktail build.
For clarity: these were one‑off tasting serves using my products so the team could understand how they behave in cocktails. Barnes & Brown isn’t in regular rotation behind the bar (yet!) – this was about exploration, not a permanent menu placement – but it showed just how seriously Origin Bar approaches zero‑proof and flavour‑driven experimentation.
Dinner at Origin Grill – Steak, Sides and a Quick Reset
We hit pause on spirits and moved next door into Origin Grill. The design language continues – arches, warm wood, soft light – but the mood shifts into classic, confident grill room territory.
Drink‑wise, I kept it simple with a Heineken 0.0. It does the job, but like most zero beers it still hits a little tinny on the palate, probably thanks to the alcohol extraction process. Origin Grill has more interesting zero‑alcohol options – NON 3 Toasted Cinnamon & Yuzu, Plus & Minus Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz, MURI ‘Fade to Black’, Saicho ‘Jasmine’ and more – I just wasn’t in the mood for a full bottle that night. The wife, sensibly, settled on an Italian red.
For mains we went classic: Tenderloin with Black Truffle Jus, plus Russet Potato Purée and Creamed Organic Spinach with Pecorino Cheese. The steak was beautifully cooked, the truffle jus glossy and fragrant, and the sides exactly what you want on the table with a good piece of beef.
The full Origin Grill menu runs much deeper than what we ordered – from seafood to big sharing cuts – so it’s worth checking their latest menu online if you’re planning a visit.
After Dinner: Saz-Air-Ak, Don’t Give A *uck and More Bar Chat
Back at the bar, my wife closed her night with the Saz‑Air‑Ak, a smart modern riff on the Sazerac crowned with absinthe foam. It’s all the depth and warmth you want from the classic, with a little extra aromatic lift on top.
I went for Don’t Give A *uck – which everyone reads the same way initially, but is in fact “Don’t Give A Duck”. The name is pure mischief; the drink itself is serious, balanced and exactly the sort of thing you want as a closing cocktail.
Between rounds we had a long, easy conversation with Rishi, the bar manager whose reputation definitely precedes him. Origin’s own description of him fits perfectly: a warm, welcoming presence who forges friendships with guests and keeps them coming back. Alongside him that night were Aki Nakata from Japan, Marcus Soh from Singapore and Carlos Huang from China – a team we’d already been following on Instagram, so seeing them in person felt a little like stepping into a live drama, complete with fire, smoke and perfectly timed service.
The POV menu won’t last forever, and the bartenders all have their favourites they quietly love to make but won’t be able to recreate once the next chapter lands. That’s the beauty – and the heartbreak – of a menu like this. For now though, Origin Bar and Origin Grill together make for one of the most complete bar‑and‑dinner nights you can have in Singapore.