When I first walked into Dragonfly, I had to double-check that I hadn't blundered into some mythical faery-circle of mushrooms and entered another realm. 

The place was lit with a field of ornate, hand-wrought lamps of varying shapes and sizes, etched with wing-patterns and trimmed with gold and glass. Together with the stained glass mosaic tables and floors, the place was cast in ethereal hues of green and blue, dragonfly motifs strewn throughout.

It was not unlike stepping into some long lost forest nestled between what is to be, and never was. Think James Cameron's Avatar come to life, with a good amount of aurora borealis thrown in for good measure. 

The centerpiece of a bar was a faery-nymph flanked by two stained glass dragonfly wings, sheltering an impressive backbar that I'm sure will tantalise any road-weary traveler. She peered down across the bar with what I liked to think was a certain stalwart stoicism, a regal queen of her own private domain tucked away in a corner of the Vibe Hotel Singapore.

The one responsible for this decadent mix of mythical opulence is no elf of the deep woods, however, but a magic-weaver of a different kind: Ashley Sutton.

The maestro bar designer (also the creator of Iron Balls Gin) has brought over his design expertise into the Singaporean bar scene for the first time. His design pays homage to the late 1800s' Art Noveau movement, with the ceiling specifically inspired by the 19th-century art mogul Louis Comfort Tiffany, the first Art Director of luxury jewelry manufacturer Tiffany & Co.

Dragonfly Singapore is a conceptual sibling of Dragonfly Hong Kong, of which Sutton also had a hand in designing. But that's where the similarities start and end.

Dragonfly's cocktail menu was created anew; a magnificent piece of master-crafted work by Dragonfly's talented bar team, helmed by the equally-esteemed Morgan Raelin Barron.

Singaporean bar-crawlers might also know her from her presence at bars like Jigger & Pony or 28 Hong Kong Street, each with their own enviable list of accolades. 

Morgan and her team have quite the poetic flair. According to them, the menu's concept is not unlike the ripples upon a water's surface, spreading out from a nexus of a dragonfly's landing.

The aptly named Cause and Effect replaces the conceptual dragonfly with a central jigger surrounded by eccentric circles each denoting a different cocktail. The innermost circle pays homage to a classic cocktail upon which the other two are based. The second drink is a refreshing take with a lower alcohol by volume (ABV), while the last one is a more spirit-forward offering that is also the most experimental of the three.

Dragonfly's menu is split into seven sections, each with it's own spirit base. From gin to whisky and even an Eau de Vie category, you'll be guaranteed a good mix of novel experiences and familiar ground.

The Bite the Blossom. 

The first drink of my night was Bite the Blossom, a Hanami Vodka highball with Oloroso sherry, rhubarb and grapefruit. It's a nuanced yet easy drink, the bitter citrus of grapefruit doing well to cut through the sweet, dry nature of the sherry. In minute amounts, the rhubarb adds a slight acidic tartness, that also pairs well with soda.

The High Mountain is a delightful treat for vodka lovers. It is a sprightly marriage of Oolong-infused vodka, Elderflower Liqueur, Liquore Strega (an Italian herbal liqueur) , Chardonnay vermouth and honey.

The vodka has a slight tannic quality to it, layered upon the anise of the Strega and dryness of the vermouth, The elderflower is rather faint, but somehow plays off the honey and oolong to deliver a smooth, complex drink.

The next drink to catch my eye was the Watershed Moment, an absolutely aromatic concoction of house-infused green banana pisco, honey, lime and orange blossom. The pisco is made with green banana skins, and retains just a hint of banana that pairs off nicely with that delicate floral minerality that pisco is so known for.

The orange blossom and lime work together especially well together, providing a delightful citrus burst on the nose as well as brightening the palate a fair amount. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. Against my expectations, it added another subtle floral undertone that provided complexity to the pisco's notes. 

If one peruses the menu enough, they might notice that Dragonfly's cocktails use a fair amount of honey. Morgan elaborated on this, and it's not what you think. 

She simply wanted to replace simple syrup with something that would provide more depth. "Honey to me is like a blurring pen," she says, "It brings together things you don't usually see together, and presents them in an indirect but satisfying way." 

Desert lovers will find this next cocktail especially down their alley. The Rum-based Murphy's Law is really not what you'd expect. Instead of a liquid, a coup full of ice cream is presented alongside a small pipette of Mala Oil.

As bizarre as that sounds, it truly is magnificent, and catered quite well to my sweet tooth. Dragonfly's bar team makes both the sweet corn ice cream and mala oil from scratch.

The blended rum ice cream includes Myers, and the molasses-heavy rum maintains its note even through the sweetness of the corn and cream. The mala oil is neither overpowering or too spicy, and pleasantly wakes up your tastebuds. It is truly both refreshing and layered.

The cocktail was inspired by an online trend of people drizzling olive oil on their ice cream some time ago, Morgan says. She tried it, and turned out she loved it too. "I was like, oh my god, that really works! So why can't I take this idea and transplant it onto a cocktail?"

While other cocktails stem from a classic, The Right Chance is a mix of two, the Right Hand and Chancellor. Finding the best of both worlds, Port's berry sweetness mixes surprisingly well with the rich, smooth Remy 1738 Cognac.

A pleasant oakiness also permeates, stemming from the infusion of American and French oak chips into the cocktail.

Also within lie beetroot, which provides a good earthiness, and cacao, which makes it just slightly savory. Garnished with a raspberry-dusted meringue, it is once again a cocktail in which all the parts fall into place, albeit unexpectedly.

What I was particularly taken by was a section nestled away at the back of a menu. Peculiarly named "High Tea", Morgan went on to explain that they were a series of tea-based cocktails served in a Chinese-style teapot, meant for sharing in shot-sized Chinese-style teacups.

The Naked and Famous is a take on the titular classic. Made with matcha-infused mezcal, strawberry, lime and washed with soy milk, it's a lovely combination of sweet, dry, citrusy and smoky. Which, come to think of it, is not unlike one of those old Chinese teas you might find nestled away in a medical shop.

"It's like taking a break with friends, or maybe meeting new ones if you see another table and decide to send a pot their way." she said with a chuckle

Why soy milk? The reasoning is simple, says Morgan: so that those that cannot imbibe diary, can still experience the cocktail in all its majesty. "Milk washing prevents a whole group of people from drinking a cocktail, and we don't want that."

Now, this concept in inclusivity is also on par with what Morgan hopes Dragonfly Singapore might achieve. She hopes that it can become a destination bar for people in Singapore, tourist or not. 

She also hopes that Dragonfly has a different intrigue compared to other bars. "I'll be happy if we can be a place where people just enjoy themselves, where they stay a while."

"As you grow older, you have less and less friends. This can be a special place that you can be with the ones you have," she added.

Lok Bing Hong A budding journalist that loves experiencing new things and telling people's stories. I have 30 seconds of coherence a day. I do not decide when they come. They are not consecutive.