The Backdrop is a cocktail bar hidden inside voco Orchard Singapore on Orchard Road — a cabaret-inspired speakeasy of chandeliers and ruby-red velvet, where every drink arrives as a performance. Set up by Dario Knox, a 4-time Asia's 50 Best Bars & World's 50 Best Bars Master Bartender with 22 years in the industry, the venue embodies his lifelong vision and is already internationally renowned for its unprecedented attention to detail and world-class execution.
The bar's calling card is the Percolated Cocktail, a technique pioneered by Knox that sets aside the shakers, mixing glasses, ice and barspoons that have defined mixology for over 300 years. Drawing on the ancient tradition of elixirs and percolations, and on extraction methods discovered and perfected from the 1800s to today, The Backdrop is the exclusive venue in the world where this avant-garde approach can be experienced.
The cocktail menu unfolds like a show — an Overture, six Acts and a Final Act — each section spotlighting cocktail-making techniques from a different era with imaginative takes that appeal to traditionalists and adventurous imbibers alike. Guests come for theatrical espresso martinis and creations such as the Negroni Supreme, while Sundays bring the house ritual of Caviar Bump Sundays. A food menu runs all day until 2:00am on weekdays and 3:00am on Fridays and Saturdays, with plates like Pasta al Pesto.
Beyond the bar, The Backdrop hosts masterclasses, workshops and tasting events on site and overseas, and welcomes private parties and group bookings of ten or more. Featured by Tatler Asia, Honeycombers and Time Out, it has become one of Orchard's most talked-about nights out.
Step through the hidden entrance of The Backdrop and the city outside falls away. Inside voco Orchard Singapore, on one of Orchard Road's most glittering stretches, waits a cabaret-inspired cocktail bar of chandeliers and ruby-red velvet, where drinks are presented tableside like scenes in a play. It is, by its own telling, a first-of-its-kind venue globally — one that leaves jaws dropped from the moment you step in, and one already internationally renowned for its incredible attention to detail and world-class execution.
The Backdrop is the creation of Dario Knox, a 4-time Asia's 50 Best Bars & World's 50 Best Bars Master Bartender with 22 years of dedicated experience behind the bar. A mentor who has inspired countless bartenders and mixologists, Knox built The Backdrop as the realisation of a lifelong vision — a visionary space dedicated to the extraction of botanicals and to the guests who come to be swept up in the craft.
The bar's headline act is the Percolated Cocktail, a technique pioneered by Knox that breaks with more than 300 years of tradition. Gone are the shakers, mixing glasses, ice and barspoons that have defined mixology for centuries; in their place, a method that transcends convention and draws on the ancient tradition of elixirs and percolations, refined through techniques discovered and perfected from the 1800s until today. Knox is described as the only individual in the world able to execute the method, and The Backdrop as the exclusive venue presenting it — which makes a visit here less a drink than an appointment with cocktail history.
The cocktail list unfolds like a performance: an Overture, then Acts One through Six, closing on a Final Act. Each section spotlights a cocktail-making technique discovered and refined from the 1800s to the present day, reimagined with imaginative takes — so classic techniques that have stood the test of time sit alongside modern interpretations that push the boundaries of flavour. Traditionalists and adventurous imbibers both find their footing here. Alongside the Percolated Cocktails, guests come for the theatrical espresso martinis and house icons like the Negroni Supreme. Sundays add their own ritual: Caviar Bump Sundays, a flourish of indulgence to close the week.
This is no drinks-only shrine. The food menu is available all day long until 2:00am on weekdays and until 3:00am on Fridays and Saturdays, with plates such as Pasta al Pesto and the aptly named Bread Winner. In other words, the kitchen keeps pace with the night — whether that night begins at six or stretches toward last call.
The Backdrop is open Wednesday to Sunday evenings: 6:00pm to 2:00am on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 7:00pm to 3:00am on Friday and Saturday. Seats can be booked online via Chope, and groups of ten or more — as well as private parties and event enquiries — can arrange everything through [email protected]. The team also runs masterclasses, workshops and tasting events, on site and overseas, for enthusiasts and aspiring mixologists who want to delve deeper into cocktail craftsmanship.
Featured by Tatler Asia, Honeycombers and Time Out, and often described as one of the most Instagrammable cocktail bars in Singapore, The Backdrop has become an essential Orchard stop for locals and travellers alike. Come curious, order a Percolated Cocktail, and let the show begin.