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Bars partnered with the tour. (Photo: 28 Hong Kong Street (left), Boujee Botanicals (up), and Bar Spectre (down))
Singapore is well-known as a cosmopolitan city with a diverse population. While this variety is mostly used to refer to differences in religion, race, or nationality, those in Singapore also have diverse tastes.
For those who enjoy the atmosphere of bars but dislike the burn of alcohol, who are more health-conscious, or just don’t want to drink for any number of reasons, local tour company VegThisCity has launched a new sober bar crawl event called Singa-pour Tour.
The event is held by VegThisCity, which organises tours centred around alternative foods and narratives, held in culturally rich hotspots around the country. The company also holds sustainability centred tours such as the Future Food Tour, which brings people a greater understanding of Singapore’s strategy for food sustainability for the future.
Why alcohol alternatives
The company draws from their experience holding these tours for the new Singa-pour Tour, aiming to illuminate Singapore’s sustainable and wellness drinking culture. This involves the ways that bars are providing alternatives to alcohol by offering a larger variety of non-alcoholic drinks, or crafting Zero Proof drinks — drinks that use a spirit alternative to achieve the same complexity and flavour as the alcoholic cocktail version.
VegThisCity has explicitly linked the tour to wellness culture, and this seems to be aligned with a recently observed trend among Gen Zs, who are drinking less than previous generations. Some attribute this to the present understanding of how binge drinking and partying can negatively impact a person’s mental and physical well being, leading a larger proportion of this younger generation to turn away from intoxicants.
“We’re seeing a rising trend of patrons who enjoy an experimental bar experience like ours — one that’s engaging, interactive, with cocktails that are big on taste but also customisable for the wellness drinker.” says Andrew Pang, Co-Founder of Bar Spectre, a wellness themed cocktail bar that is partnering with VegThisCity for the tour.
The tour experience
Because the tour is non-alcoholic, guests can also opt to book sessions held in the daytime. However, by nature of it being a bar-crawl, guests must be above eighteen.
On the walking tour, guests will be accompanied by a professional guide, who will bring them to three or four bars. The event has partnered with venus such as Bar Spectre, 28 Hong Kong Street, and Boujee Botanicals. Guests may also experience some of Asia’s 50 Best Bars while on the tour.
Each ticket promises guests three full size zero-alcohol drinks, one bar snack at each location, and a special rate for any additional snacks of food. However, some places may offer a flight instead of other traditional alcohol glasses, such as partner bar Boujee Botanicals.
Attendees can ship on mocktails, kombuchas, or herbal tea, munch on bar snacks, and, if they so choose, speak to those operating the bars and get to know the thought that goes behind running a nightlife operation and learn more about the process of crafting the alcohol-alternatives that they will be drinking.
Tickets are $129 per person, but for those who make their bookings in September, the ticket will be $99 for any tour running from now until December.
