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Operation Dagger

2020-02-12 DailyDrinkMag

Singapore ann siang hill, chinatown, Cocktail Bar, cocktails, operation dagger, prohibition era, singapore, speakeasy

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There’s a legendary series of police raids. The Singapore police force wanted to stamp out the infamous gangs of Chinatown, so they changed up their tactics. A system of blitz attacks on underworld lairs led to the eradication of the old guard of Ann Siang Hill. And the name of that series of raids? “Operation Dagger.”

An exterior shot of the entrance to Operation Dagger, in grayscale. The passageway to the bar is an open door, which is flanked by a staircase on the left side of the photo and a closed set of doors on the right. The door to Operation Dagger has its logo etched on the wall above the doorframe. The passageway has a staircase leading down towards an area which cannot be seen on the photo.

Now in that same section of Chinatown shop houses, you’ll find another underground lair, inspired by that same police blitz. Operation Dagger, is a hidden cocktail bar marked very much like a gang entrance. In the spirit of its namesake, their mission is to utilize completely different tactics from what has come to be somewhat standard in speakeasy cocktail bars around the world.

A shot of Operation Dagger's interior. In the foreground, three people can be seen sitting in front of the wooden bar, with another person sitting on the far right end. The bartender is busy making a drink behind the bar, facing a gray wall that's covered with several wooden shelves full of neatly-arranged bottles. The scene is illuminated by several lightbulbs hanging down the ceiling, which cannot be seen due to the sheer number of bulbs covering it.
A closeup shot of the gray wall behind Operation Dagger's bar. At least fifteen horizontal wooden shelves are installed on the wall, with neatly-arranged bottles, jars, and glass containers sitting on top of each one. Below these shelves are the metal counters where the bartender does his work. On the photo, he appears to be crushing ice. A portion of the bar can be seen in the foreground, as well as sets of strainers hanging down from the top of the photo.

There’s no prohibition era leather booths. There is no secret password. Most importantly, the menu shys away from all of that has come to be standard and expected over the last decade. Instead, fresh recipes are served here in the spirit of “attacking with fresh tactics.” They’ve even re-bottled every liquor and ingredient into a standardized amber medicine bottle in an effort to defuse any preconceived notion or bias you arrive with.

A closeup shot of Operation Dagger's logo, etched on the wall on top of the doorframe leading down towards the bar.

Follow @operationdagger on Instagram.

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