Shelley Tai is an acclaimed bartender who leads the team at Nutmeg & Clove Singapore, consistently ranked amongst the top bars in Asia and the world. 88 Bamboo recently headed down to the cocktail bar to catch up with Instagram's favourite bartender, learn about her bartending journey, the most difficult cocktail she's had to make, and whether or not there's truly such a thing as a "cat person."

It was the fall of 2017 and Shelley was in Barcelona, visiting a cocktail bar. As she stepped into the bar, she noticed the entire room being drawn to the bar counter; an effervescent, high-spirited elderly man was shaking out cocktail after cocktail. Probably well into his seventies, the bartender dazzled the room with his energy and flair, like he was a Willy Wonka of sorts to a room full of children.

That was a formative memory, even for the Hong Kong native who was in her 20s. Shelley was fresh out of volume bartending at late night party lounges, and had just begun a stint at Quinary Hong Kong – a cocktail bar famous for its molecular mixology. It was like she had stepped into a completely different world.

“At a cocktail bar, there is so much emphasis on your knowledge of flavours and techniques, your creativity and how you engage with your guests. It’s a lot more than just making drinks,” Shelley tells me one recent afternoon before service at Nutmeg & Clove Singapore, where she leads the team as General Manager. It sounds like a shift in gear from making lots of straightforward drinks in late night lounges. “It’s a very different job. At a nightclub it’s all about having fun and making people drink. At a nightclub, bartenders could also be very rude to guests; no one cares,” she added, laughing as I nodded knowingly.

Shelley initially entered the nightlife scene simply to make some extra money for rent and bare necessities. But the serendipitous encounter with the Barcelonian bartender at a crucial juncture made her realise what a life of cocktails meant to her. “You could tell he was really enjoying his job. And I thought it was very inspiring to watch. I have so much respect for him for being able to do the thing that he likes for so long,” said Shelley. This isn’t just a job to her anymore. “I really felt more motivated, and I really wanted to build a career.” 

True to her word, Shelley would make her professional mark in just two short years. In 2019, she joined the prestigious Diageo World Class Hong Kong & Macau Bartending Competition and won it, taking on the mantle from her Quinary mentor, Antonio, who was himself the 2015 champion.

Yet all that was not enough for Shelley. Quite the contrary, greater exposure seemed to make her feel she could be growing even more. And so, she decided to leave Hong Kong when she turned 30, recruited by prolific bar entrepreneur Colin Chia to be the high-profile manager of Nutmeg & Clove.

At the height of the pandemic, Shelley moved Singapore with two feline roommates, Bibi and Geibei. She lit up when I asked about them, gently correcting my broken Cantonese.

“Gāi béi (雞髀) actually means chicken drumstick in Cantonese,” said Shelley as she pointed to the grey cat in a photo. “I gave her that name when I adopted her 13 years ago, because that’s the only phrase she would respond to. She’s always been a very quiet cat and doesn’t do much.” In her video diary, Shelley documented the challenges and anxieties of flying her cats to Singapore. The hassle was worth it for at least one of the cats. “Bibi really likes sunbathing on the balcony ever since I moved into my Singapore apartment,” said the smiling Shelley as she pointed to her orange-tan cat. “I did not have a balcony back in Hong Kong.”

“Everyone around me seems to be getting a cat these days,” Shelley mused. We both agreed that cats are far more independent and easier to care for, compared to dogs – no shade to dog lovers. Perhaps it’s reflective of the modern lifestyle where many of us are too busy for a dog?

“Yes, that too. My cats fit my lifestyle perfectly. I don’t even feed them the same time every day,” she responded, laughing.

 In 2019, Shelley won the Diageo World Class Hong Kong & Macau Bartending Competition, and also became a global finalist in the international competition. (Image Source: Diageo)

When asked about the most important quality in a good bartender, Shelley says with certainty: “Discipline.” It’s not a surprising answer. The cocktail bartending scene is very competitive at the highest level, and it takes grit to be recognised as one of the best. Shelley participated in the Diageo World Class Bartender Competition in both 2018 and 2019, and had to practise pouring countless cocktails while holding a full-time job at Quinary. Sounding like an athlete preparing for competition, she continued, “Almost every day I would be practising at the bar before service from as early as 9am.” Shelley won the title on her second try in 2019. 

Creativity and a good knowledge of ingredients and base spirits are also essential qualities for a good bartender. Participants had to make and present cocktails according to the given theme of each challenge. There were also several “mystery boxes” where participants were given mystery ingredients and bartending tools only revealed right before the challenge.

Finally, creating a great cocktail bar experience is more than just about making drinks. These days, the best bartenders are part-mixologist, part-performance artist. To stand out from the crowd, they are often expected to engage their guests with an electric personality or a compelling story that could rival those of PT Barnum in The Greatest Showman. As we talked at length about bar showmanship, Shelley opened up about her authentic personality. Although Shelley’s social media following stands at over 20,000, she rarely draws attention to herself. People who frequent Nutmeg & Clove would know. Behind the bar, Shelley Tai’s demeanour sets up a comfortable tone of light jazz and quiet grace of a high end café – something you might see from a concert pianist or cellist. It’s nothing like the boisterous, bombastic or flashy atmosphere that some cocktail bars go for.

“I wasn’t naturally very gifted at public speaking, so I needed a lot of practice for the competition. I’ll often video record myself going through the steps of making a cocktail, explain why I’m using a certain ingredient or why I’m using a certain method,” she held back an embarrassed, self-conscious, chuckle. “I’ll rewatch those videos over and over again… oh, I hate watching myself on videos!” On a stage occupied by many loud, glittering personalities, it’s very refreshing to see one like Shelley’s shine equally bright.

The once-bashful Shelley now manages a talented team at Nutmeg & Clove known for conjuring up cocktails with unusual toppings or marrying unlikely flavours that somehow work. One example is the Fat Cow which was one of their most unusual and elaborate creations made with herbs, spices, Amaro, vermouth, beef fat-infused Monkey Shoulder whisky and a garnish of an actual piece of flame seared beef sushi.

Being a bar manager poses an interesting set of challenges for Shelley. Avant-garde cocktails like the Fat Cow pose a test to the bar’s workflow. Both the kitchen and the bar have to work in tandem to ensure every component is assembled at the right temperature. “The Fat Cow was probably the most difficult to do in terms of service because the kitchen would have to do the garnish, while we have to do the drink. We have to make sure that the timing is correct. During a very busy service, it could be difficult.”

Yet to Shelley, the execution part is actually “relatively easy” for her team of well-trained mixologists. Inventing new cocktails, or what Shelley calls the “R&D” phase, takes up the most time. The team has to find the optimal balance of flavours in a cup, and explain how the flavours are inspired by a chosen theme.

Each year, Nutmeg & Clove would reinvent its menu along a theme and offer 10 to 12 new original cocktails. The 2021 menu was inspired by the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac – Fat Cow representing the Ox zodiac sign.

Nutmeg & Clove’s recent 2022 menu resembles a traveller’s diary with cocktails inspired by her observations and reflections of Singapore. The menus often include a variation of the classic Ramos Gin Fizz cocktail – the hardest classic cocktail to make in the game. 2022’s take on the Ramos is called “Pepper Meets Ramos”, which combines the classic milkshake-like souffle-topped cocktail with a very local white pepper infusion that reminds us of Singaporean Bak kut the (肉骨茶).

There is also “Can Bubble Gum” which combines refreshing strawberry and mint base with smoky craft mezcal, then topped with a gossamer pillow of distilled Tabasco bitters. How does this cocktail relate to the Singapore story? Ahem… because Singapore law still bans the sale of bubble gum.

Planning each year’s menu is a long, rigorous affair for Shelley. “First, we need to decide on a theme, and what style of drinks we want inside.” It’s important to Shelley that there’s a cocktail that would appeal to every palate – depending on spirit preferences and booziness. “We must ensure that we cover all kinds of spirits. We must also make sure the number of drinks of every style is very balanced: There will be drinks on the sweeter and more sour side of things, and there would always be something like a Ramos twist, which we always have on our menu.”

Inventing new drinks is a time-intensive affair which involves the entire team. “There will be a direction for every new cocktail, which would be assigned to a person.” After regular meetings are held to taste each member’s proposed new cocktail. “We will ask them to tell us about their inspiration, why it is related to the theme, then we would of course taste their cocktail, and make tweaks to improve the recipe.”

Since the menu is renewed every year, what happens to cocktails from the previous year? “A lot of people come back and ask for cocktails from previous menus. Well, we keep a section for that on our menu called ‘Hall of Fame’. Every year we choose 10 popular cocktails from the past that we really like and we will leave them on the menu.” Shelley smiles and assured me that my favourite Bubble Gum cocktail fix would remain on the 2023 menu.

Outside of her passion for bartending, Shelley is an accomplished home cook and religiously goes to the gym every morning. On most of her off days in Singapore, she spends her time at home with Gaibei and Bibi. She also has a passion for travelling - another big draw of the cocktail bartending life for her.

When Shelley spoke to me, she had just returned from an eventful visit to Mexico. She ran a guest shift at the legendary Licorería Limantour – one of best bars in the world ­– near the time Mexicans streets were celebrating the famous Día de los Muertos (Mexican Day of the Dead). “It’s a unique experience – like something you see in the movies. There is so much music and a lot of parading on the streets. After the guest shift, we flew to Oaxaca to visit a mezcal distillery where we drank craft mezcal in the middle of an agave field while we watched the sunset,” Shelley briefly looked into the distance as if she could still hear festival music and see the Oaxacan sunset, before turning back at me. “I always look for inspiration wherever I go. Since I learnt a lot about different types of agave in Mexico, I’ll be doing a lot more experiments with agave spirits now.”

Before this life, Shelley had actually majored in fashion merchandising and only got into hospitality just to make some spare cash for rent. Could the modest Shelley have guessed how far out her life would later be – from travelling the world for inspiration, to leading a world-class team, to running guest shifts at the best bars in the world? Perhaps not. But perhaps there were signs after all. We both agreed that cat people are slightly different from dog people. “Dog people tend to be more playful. I think cat people are normally more independent, more unconventional,” Shelley concluded, as she moved deftly behind the bar to pour out a perfect gin martini within a manner of minutes. I had earlier asked Shelley to teach me to make a simple cocktail I could also make at home.

She seems to be on to something. Many of the most bohemian, unconventional artists have been famously pictured with cats – Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Georgia O'Keeffe and writer Haruki Murakami just to name a few. It'll be fitting to add Shelley Tai to the list as a cocktail artist.

88 Bamboo would like to thank Shelley Tai and the team at Nutmeg & Clove for making this interview possible! We are grateful to learn more about Shelley, the creative process of Nutmeg & Clove and most importantly Geibei and Bibi. 

Follow Nutmeg & Clove and Shelley and her cats on Instagram. Reserve a table on their website here.

@CharsiuCharlie