It hasn't been too long ago that we tasted Mandarin Oriental Singapore's MO Bar's new cocktail menu - one that sees Singapore through the eyes of a journal-er exploring the city. So colour our surprise when we were told that MO Bar Singapore has been cooking up a new gin!
Whilst it's news for the most of us, the reality is this gin has been in the works between MO Bar Singapore and new Singaporean distillery Distillius for almost a year, going between iterations and tastings. Coming from the backdrop of the cocktail menu Volume 7: Modern Localism, The City of Art (2026), which features collaborations between local producers, artisans and restaurants, here's what Bar Manager Kim Jung Hoo has to say about the gin:
Source: MO Bar Singapore
“The more we explore Singapore through our menus, the more we want to take greater
ownership of what goes into the glass. Creating our own gin meant we could shape the
experience from its very foundation, while paying tribute to the city in the way we know best at MO BAR, and giving our guests something they could take home as a memory of it".
Kim explaining to us the philosophy behind MO's first gin.
During the conceptualisation of the gin, Kim learned that visitors preferred a softer, gentler and approachable spirit, hence the decision to make MO Bar's first gin an Old Tom style - an 18th century genre of gins sports a cordial profile and sweeter palate compared to that of the ubiquitous London Dry. The gin, according to MO Bar, sports fruity and floral flavours, the key tropical botanicals of dried mango, mandarin and osmanthus accentuated by distilled Sauvignon Blanc wine.
The design on the clay bottle is inspired by the mural featured at the reception of Mandarin Oriental Singapore's lobby, made by Keng Wai Lee and Marco Araldi. Source: @art5_gallery
To experience the gin, we were treated to the The First Edition Experience - enjoying the gin in three ways. We started the tasting with the gin neat - Kim's preferred way of enjoying the spirit.
Gin Review: MO BAR Edition No. l Gin, 40% ABV
Tasting Notes
Nose: Sweet Juniper aromas at first, followed by tropical aromas of mango, peach, white peach, as well as a faint honey-esque aroma. On subsequent nosing, there is a subtle mandarin peel.
Taste: Sweet, slightly candy like, with flavours of mango juice, finger bananas, alongside a hint of succulent fruits - peach, fresh honeysuckle, nectarine. More green flavours of pepper as well as piney juniper comes out.
Finish: The finish is fruity, clean and dry, with a lingering candied mango aroma. More yellow flowers arise on the finish, especially chrysanthemum and osmanthus, before tapering off and leaving a mild tangerine finish
My Thoughts
Wow! The gin is very tropical - however in a very candied fruit, confectionery manner. What really stands out for me is that heady aroma of peaches and green flowers - which I suspect is the Sauvignon Blanc doing it's work. There's also just enough citrus in the form of mandarin that introduced a delightful brightness to the gin - coupled with the slightly richer texture. An gin that's a joy to sip just on its own!
Of course, the gin was available to be enjoyed in the classic gin & tonic. Here, to tone down the sweetness of the drink, the Signature G&T is chased with soda water.
The sonic, I feel, is the next best alternative to getting acquainted with the gin apart from drinking neat - the greener, fresher and lighter flavours of the gin, like bell peppers, underripe peach and a bit of finger lime - but that mango aroma is still not lost, very present in the aroma, elevated by the effervescence.
The third drink is a choice between two cocktails: the M.O. Mango is a gimlet-style cocktail that accentuates the fruitier notes of the gin, whereas the M.O. Mami, a martini-style cocktail, marries the gin with Sauvignon Blanc and Amaro Nino.
The M.O. Mango was very soft! The sweetness has the flavour of peach and pineapple flavoured gummy bear, but it's not cloyingly sweet, the astringency of the cocktail tampering the confectionery aspect of it. The mango flavour comes through too, this time more going towards overripe mango, mango juice, tropical slushie and tutti-frutti chewing gum. A very affable, easy going drink that leans on the sweeter end on things, yet still letting the gin shine through.
On the other hand, the M.O. Mami strikes a very tight balance between dryness and sweetness - here, you do get the hallmarks of dry Sauvignon Blanc, yet there's a fine sweetness coming through, like sucking onto a piece of dried mango. A very easy to drink martini, one that's very approachable with pops of sweet and sophisticated tropical flavours. I'll go so far to say that people who are adverse to martinis should definitely give this a try - it's such a twist on the classic that it feels like a whole new drink altogether!
Between the two cocktails, I find myself reaching for the M.O. Mami more. I do love the savoury, green and wine flavours of the Sauvignon Blanc spotlighting the deeper, more nuanced notes of the gin.
The First Edition Experience: MO Bar Edition No.I Gin Neat, in a G&T, and a choice of cocktail. Source: MO Bar Singapore.
What a wonderful tasting, and here's to more!
@vernoncelli
P.S. After writing this article, we have been informed that the MO BAR Edition No.l Gin has won Double Gold and Best in Category: Old Tom Gin in the recent Tasting Alliance Asia World Spirits Competition. Congratulations!
