While the Titan Atlas held the sky on his shoulders, his namesake bar in Singapore has proved a heavenly spot for cocktail connoisseurs. Shay Waterworth peruses the latest menu with boss Vicky Hwang

It sounds clichéd, but walking into Atlas for the first time is a moment you will never forget. The bar was opened on the ground floor of Singapore’s Parkview Square building in 2017 and over the subsequent decade has become an institution of Asia’s bar scene.

“I always wanted Atlas to be on the ‘must-go’ list for Singapore. When people visit for the first time they know they should go to Cé La Vie for the view, Raffles for a Singapore Sling and then Atlas for a Martini,” says Vicky Hwang, Atlas chief executive.

“Because the bar takes up the entire lobby space I knew I wanted it to endure. The idea of closing the bar to change concept every three years wasn’t congruous to the building or the aspirations that my grandfather [who built Parkview Square] had. I wanted it to transcend time.”

The bar is known for its distinct Art Deco aesthetic centred around a 15m-tall gin tower which is said to house almost 1,000 different brands. Since opening, Atlas has featured in The World’s 50 Best Bars seven times, peaking at number four in 2020.

Hwang adds: “There were some amazing bars that put Singapore on the map, such as 28 Hong Kong Street and Manhattan, and we were able to ride that wave when we opened. Now there are other cities like Bangkok and Jakarta coming to the fore, which is really exciting.

“One of the biggest challenges now is the price of Singapore. It’s become quite an expensive city to live in, and even as a tourist. Some of our neighbours are a lot cheaper – for example, a tourist dollar goes much further in Bangkok than it does in Singapore.”

Atlas now employs almost 80 staff and turns over more than 500 covers six days a week which, according to Hwang, made 2025 its most successful year to date.

“In the early days my involvement was less because I was new to the industry, but now I’m more involved than ever,” adds Hwang. “Over time it’s dawned on me that I’m the common thread as people come and go because of family commitments and career progression. I feel like I can evolve new ideas and also bring in new people to question why we do things a certain way, I think that’s really important.”

New menu

Former Sips bartender Esmeralda Castrogiovanni joined the team in 2025 and in May this year launched a new menu, Daughters of Atlas.

Hwang says: “We had a lot of fun with this menu and because we’re a big operation which spans different times of the day we have lots of guests who don’t drink, they’re just there to enjoy the experience. I was pregnant the year after we started Atlas so I’ve always taken our non-alcoholic drinks seriously.

“In fact, on the new menu one of the bestsellers is a non-alcoholic drink which I think is really interesting. People are being more deliberate with their alcohol intake. Previously guests could ask to make one of our non-alcoholic drinks boozy, but this year we’ve actually paired a spirit with our non-alcoholic drinks which is working really well.”

The hospitality sector has never been more challenging given the ongoing cost of living crisis, global inflation and moderation trend, yet Atlas has transcended it all. Sitting in The World’s 50 Best Bars for seven of its 10 years in operation makes Atlas a legendary space.

“It’s been quite a journey so far,” concludes Hwang. “On the one hand 10 years feels like a lifetime, but at the same time it still feels brand new. I guess to be a true institution it has to be forever.”