VIJAY MUDALIAR
NATIVE l Singapore | Nº 13 World’s 50 Best Bars
An Asia-centric bar, Native uses spirits and other ingredients sourced only from the Asian region: soursop, pandan, laksa leaf, candlenut, and fermented grasshoppers. Developed in a laboratory on the bar’s second floor, the creative cocktails all represent a time, place, history, or tradition. The team uses house-made vinegars, yogurt whey, or ants for acidity, eschewing lemons and limes to avoid a pile of leftover peels after closing time. Sustainability informs and influences everything at the solar-powered Native. Beyond its in-house compost and mini-garden, napkins are linen, coasters are reusable lotus leaves, and straws are actually lotus stems sourced from a florist that only needs the bulbs. All of these initiatives and more earned Native the 2019 Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, a testament to the bar’s unique philosophy and mission.