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BOP (Bartenders Of Pony) by Jigger & Pony Group and Uno Jang Opens in Singapore as a New Home for Korean Drinking Culture
- Feb 4
- 12 min read
CNA EXCLUSIVE
SINGAPORE [Tuesday, 27 January 2026]—The Jigger & Pony Group unveils its latest concept, BOP (Bartenders of Pony), a Korean cocktail dining-bar shaped by over a decade at the forefront of global cocktail culture and deeply rooted in Korean social traditions. Opening on 31st January 2026 at 76 Tras Street in Tanjong Pagar — Singapore’s unofficial “Korean Town” — BOP offers a new expression of the Group’s hospitality in Singapore, one that reflects how Koreans actually drink: socially, instinctively, and with feeling.
Led creatively by Uno Jang, Co-Owner and Creative Director of Jigger & Pony Group and winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025, the concept draws from his Korean heritage, translating lived experiences into a new expression of the Group’s hospitality-led venues. “BOP is my most personal project to date, but it’s also very much a Jigger & Pony Group bar,” says Uno. “I’m very excited to be able to tell my story — taking something that is a big part of me, and shaping it together with the team I’ve grown with over the years.”
Intentionally named Bartenders of Pony, BOP firmly embodies the Group’s ethos and its long-standing commitment to developing bartenders as authors of culture — seen across the Group’s portfolio of concepts including Jigger & Pony, Gibson, Live Twice, Humpback, Caffe Fernet, Pop City x Pony, and Cosmo Pony Jakarta. Globally recognised by his peers as a mentor and standard-setter, Uno works closely with his fellow partners in Jigger & Pony Group to guide and shape the next generation of bartenders.
Arriving at a moment when Korean culture is no longer a passing trend but a living, evolving presence, BOP reflects how it is experienced today: casually, socially, and embedded in everyday life. It draws on the balance that makes Korean culture resonate globally—rooted yet constantly reinventing itself, blending tradition with expression, restraint with energy. Even the style of its name carries this spirit. In Korea, K-pop groups like Big Bang, BTS, and BLACKPINK were never just names, but identities that shaped a generation.
Inspired by the new wave of Korean social culture—from culinary habits to the energy of music and the spirit of a house party—BOP doesn’t perform Korean culture; it lives it, translating its values into a hospitality experience that feels intimate, personal, and culturally grounded. Here, cocktails lead, shaping the rhythm of the night, while food complements and enhances the experience, and people always come first.
“After ten years in Singapore, I wanted to create something that felt closer to how I actually grew up drinking,” says Uno. “In Korea, drinking is never just about the drink. It’s about the people, what’s on the table, the spontaneous toasts and moments that unfold between rounds. With BOP, the idea is to bring that drinking culture together with everything I’ve learned about craft over the years. It is serious attention to detail delivered in a way that feels genuine and natural. I hope BOP is a place that feels alive the moment you walk in.”
BOP sets out to introduce a new expression of nightlife in Singapore: a Korean cocktail dining-bar where drinks lead and food follows the rhythm of the night. This is not a bar with food, or a restaurant with cocktails. It is a space shaped around how people actually drink, and influencing the sharing and enjoyment of food. Built on serious craft yet grounded in warmth, presence, and human connection, BOP is a third space that feels lived in. Cocktails, music, and people move together—inviting guests not just to observe, but to engage, connect, and shape nights that feel spontaneous, immersive, and unmistakably alive.
When one drops by for a drink and ends up staying longer than planned, it captures BOP’s simple philosophy: With feeling. With you.
Korean at Its Core: Kki, Jeong, and Heung
At the core of BOP are three Korean values that shape everything it does: Kki (끼), the craft and relentless pursuit of mastery and detail; Jeong (정), the heart, expressed through deep hospitality and emotional connection that makes strangers stay; and Heung (흥), the energy, joyful vitality and spontaneity that keep the night alive. Together, they form the emotional language of BOP — how it tastes, how it feels, and how it stays with you long after the last drink.
A Cocktail Menu Built on Memory, Ritual, and and Kki (끼)
BOP’s debut menu features 12 signature cocktails inspired by Korean pop culture and drinking rituals. Each drink reflects Kki (끼) — mastery shaped by discipline, memory, and quiet confidence. Much like the years of training behind a K-pop group, it is about refinement through determination, humility, and respect for craft. At BOP, this spirit comes alive in the precision of flavour, the clarity of technique, and the calm assurance behind the bar.
Beyond familiar ingredients such as rice, perilla, nuruk, seaweed and spice flavours, the menu draws on the depth of Korea’s traditional spirits — soju, takju, yakju, cheongju, and makgeolli—celebrating the country’s rich brewing and distilling heritage. These elements are living expressions of how Koreans drink today: playful, social, and constantly evolving. Signature highlights include:
Bokbunja POP: A playful ritual disguised as a cocktail, inspired by Korean mixed-drink culture and the nostalgic fun of Tequila Pop. Activated tableside with a custom Somaek twister, it releases a burst of bubbles, anticipation, and laughter—turning a simple pour into a shared moment of celebration.
Buldak Penicillin: Bold and smoky, the cocktail draws on the cultural role of spice as release and comfort. Built around the iconic buldak sauce, a beloved ultra-spicy chicken staple in Korea, rounded with yuja (Korean citrus) and peated whisky, it invites guests to compare reactions, test tolerance, and connect through experience.
Iced Somaek: Somaek, the quintessential social pairing of soju and beer, was Uno’s introduction to drinking culture in Korea. He discovered a taste for ice-cold lager, served sometimes with ice, in Singapore’s tropical climate. At BOP, these two worlds come together in a crisp Korean beer topped with soju “snow” ice flakes, shaved with an ice kachang machine. Bright, clean, and easy to enjoy, it transforms an everyday Korean ritual into something unmistakably BOP.
BOP Martini: A savoury, rice-driven martini featuring house-made makgeolli vermouth crafted with roasted seaweed, and a soy sauce-pickled olive. Minimal, confident, and deeply Korean, it echoes the comfort of bap (cooked rice), the most emotionally loaded word in Korean cuisine.
Dalgona Iced Coffee: Rooted in contemporary Korean café culture, the vodka-based cocktail takes inspiration from the viral Dalgona Coffee moment and the familiar flavour of Korean honeycomb candy. Featuring gamhongno, a Korean liquor fortified with ingredients like cinnamon and dried tangerine peel, it is finished with rice cream and a dalgona cookie crumble.
Iced Somaek is priced at SGD $16 and all other cocktails are at SGD $23. Happy hour at BOP runs from 6pm to 7.30pm daily.
Where Craft Meets Comfort: Food That Moves the Night
Curated by Jigger & Pony Group Executive Chef David Tang in collaboration with Chef Jason Oh, an alumnus of Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars, each dish at BOP is meant to be kickass in flavour and texture, delivering intense, memorable, and vibrant profiles. Inspired by the bold, harmonious balance of Korea’s five core flavors—spicy, sweet, salty, sour, and umami—the food menu is built for sharing, designed to move with the energy of the bar, and to encourage unhurried nights, laughter, and repeat rounds. Standout dishes include:
Crispy Fried Chicken (SGD $18): Korean fried chicken is never just food; it’s an anchor of the table, ordered early and revisited often as drinks keep coming. Based on Chef Jason’s signature recipe, BOP’s take is made with boneless kampung chicken thigh and served with three distinct in-house sauces—mala jang for a numbing spice, peanut sauce for richness and depth, and tangy BBQ for heat and smoke.
Cucumber & Squid Muchim (SGD $14): A vibrant expression of Korean muchim, part of the broader culinary category of banchan. Crisp cucumber, tender squid, and crunchy radishes are seasoned in a gochujang and sesame oil-based dressing. Simple yet deeply satisfying, it pairs effortlessly with cocktails, embodying the Korean love for fresh yet bold flavours.
Tuna Gimbap (SGD $21): This elevates one of Korea’s most familiar everyday foods. Traditionally associated with picnics, school trips, and quiet moments of care, it is paired here with sashimi-grade tuna, striking a balance between comfort and refinement while preserving its emotional pull.
Yukgaejang K-Cup Ramyeon (SGD $14): Late-night comfort turned into a playful ritual. Recreating the familiar anticipation of instant noodles and hangover soup cures, this ramyeon invites guests to complete the dish themselves at the table. Finished with perilla powder and perilla leaf for a smoother, nuttier depth, it is both nostalgic and restorative, perfect for when the night slows—or requires reviving.
Banana Milk Tiramisu (SGD $16): A cheeky nod to a childhood favourite, inspired by Korea’s iconic banana milk. Creamy, indulgent, and just a little mischievous, it’s topped with shavings of Banana Kick, adding a playful dry crunch that brings a hit of nostalgia to every bite.
Hospitality with Heart: Jeong (정) in Motion
BOP’s service is guided by Jeong (정)—a people-first hospitality rooted in emotional generosity. It is the warmth that turns strangers into tablemates, keeps conversations flowing, and makes nights feel personal rather than transactional. This spirit is carried by a team led by Assistant Principal Bartender Betty Sim and Assistant Hospitality Manager Kimberly Cheng, whose presence sets the tone for the room.
Central to this is BOP’s philosophy of reducing the distance between the bar and the guest. The bar is positioned intentionally at the front of the space, so guests are greeted by a familiar, welcoming sight the moment they enter. Hospitality is open and instinctive, shaped by how bartenders naturally work—moving fluidly through the space, reading the room, and engaging wherever energy gathers.
That same thinking informs both the layout and the name. BOP — Bartenders Of Pony — reflects a collective built around the bartender as host and connector. The room is designed around their natural rhythms: places to stand, perch, lean, and gather, creating pockets of communal energy throughout the bar. Guests are free to settle in wherever the moment feels right, becoming part of the flow rather than observers of it.
Through every interaction, hospitality feels shared rather than staged. With feeling. With you. is not just a line, but the way BOP moves.
A Space Designed to Be Felt: Carrying the Joy of Heung (흥)
Designed by Gabriel Tan of Studio Antimatter (President’s Design Award Designer of the Year 2025), BOP unfolds as a layered journey through a traditional Singaporean shophouse, where space, sound, and movement come together to build momentum and shared joy. Organised into four fluid zones inspired by Korean heritage design language, the bar carries the spirit of Heung (흥) — shifting in rhythm from lively and expressive to intimate and cocooned, allowing energy to rise, settle, and flow organically as the night unfolds.
Rather than literal reproduction, the design reinterprets Korean textile traditions and folk art through materiality, pattern, and colour. A palette of honeyed wood, soft beiges, muted greens, lively ochres, earthy terracotta, deep blues, and red accents draws from obangsaek, Korea’s traditional colour spectrum, and dancheong, the multicoloured decorative paintwork found on historic wooden architecture. Flax linen is used thoughtfully throughout the space, including as drapes above the bar counter and the uniforms, echoing its role in Korean culture as a natural, breathable textile that filters light, softens the environment, and adds warmth and tactility. Together, these elements create visual comfort through tonal harmony. The result is a space that feels composed rather than decorated—designed with intention and clarity at every scale.
Guests start at the Kki Bar, BOP’s social heart, where energy hits immediately and Uno and Betty helm the counter nearest the entrance. Here, craft takes centre stage as cocktails anchor the experience and conversations form effortlessly across the counter. Moving inward, the atmosphere opens into Skylight Green, a brighter, more expressive space animated by vinyls and music-led moments, where sound, drinks, and social energy intersect naturally.
Further inside, the Bojagi Room introduces a quieter setting for longer stays and shared plates. Softer seating is anchored by minhwa (민화)—traditional Korean folk paintings that add layers of cultural texture and storytelling. Drawing from jogakbo, the traditional patchwork used in Korean wrapping cloths, tiling patterns, wall coverings, and curtains translate its rhythm and layering into spatial form. Textile-clad wall panels soften acoustics, while timber surfaces add warmth and tactile depth. Custom cabinetry, modular shelving, and precise joinery reflect restraint and material integrity.
At the deepest point of the bar, Sarangbang offers an intimate retreat for conversation and discovery, echoing the private rooms found in traditional Korean homes.
Together, the design becomes a physical expression of BOP’s spirit. It is where Heung (흥) finds its form—carried through colour, texture, sound, and movement—where branding, space, and experience merge into one.
More than a new Jigger & Pony Group opening, BOP is Uno Jang’s most personal statement to date—a bar shaped by memory, built on craft, and animated by people. It reimagines what a Korean bar can be in Singapore: not exclusive, not performative, but alive with emotion, warmth, and shared experience.
This is Korean drinking culture, as it is truly lived.
Reservations are now open, visit the website to book here: www.bartendersofpony.com
*All prices are subject to a 10% service charge and prevailing GST.
All photo credits are given to BOP.
PRESS KIT HERE
About BOP (Bartenders of Pony)
BOP (Bartenders of Pony) is Singapore’s first Korean cocktail dining-bar, developed and conceptualised by the award-winning Jigger & Pony Group. A deeply personal project for Uno Jang (Co-Owner and Creative Director of Jigger & Pony Group, winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2025), BOP is the next evolution of the Group’s ethos of convivial, people-first hospitality. BOP reimagines the Korean drinking experience through a contemporary, bartender-led lens — where craft meets comfort, and where cocktails, cuisine, and conviviality come together in balance.
A heartfelt tribute to the bar community that is shaped by Jigger & Pony Group and Uno, BOP reimagines the Korean drinking experience through Uno’s creative vision — where craft meets comfort, and where cocktails, cuisine, and conviviality come together in perfect balance. Guided by the Korean values of Kki (craft), Jeong (human heart), and Heung (youthful energy), BOP celebrates sincerity, curiosity, and connection in every detail — from its expressive cocktails and flavour-forward dishes (crafted in collaboration with Chef Jason Oh) to its lively, welcoming spirit. Rooted in Uno’s belief that “progress comes from knowing where you come from,” BOP embodies a new generation of bars: relaxed, bold, heartfelt, and always full of life.
Address: 76 Tras St, Singapore 079015
Tel: +65 8985 5876
Email: info@bartendersofpony.com
Opening Hours: Sun, Tue-Thu: 6pm-1am, Fri-Sat: 6pm-2am. Closed Mondays.(Happy Hour from 6pm - 7.30pm)
Instagram: @bop_bartendersofpony
Website: www.bartendersofpony.com
About Uno JangAs Co-Owner & Creative Director of Jigger & Pony Group, Uno Jang believes that great bars are about more than cocktails—they are about people. Born in Korea, rooted in Singapore, and connected to the global community, Uno has built a career on creating spaces of convivial hospitality: places where guests feel at home, conversations flow as freely as the drinks, and human connection sits at the heart of the experience. Moving to Singapore in 2015, Uno started his bartending career at the now-defunct Orgo Bar before joining Jigger & Pony in 2017. Since then, Uno has played a vital role in putting Singapore on the map in both Asia and the world. In his current role, he has been instrumental in shaping cocktail programmes across venues including Jigger & Pony, Gibson, Live Twice, Caffe Fernet, Humpback, Pop City x Pony, Cosmo Pony in Jakarta and most recently, BOP (Bartenders of Pony) — developing cocktail menus that capture each bar’s unique identity while embodying the same spirit of convivial hospitality.
Recognised with the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 — a peer-voted accolade celebrating bartenders who inspire and shape the community — Uno is known for his ability to balance tradition with innovation. His creativity pushes cocktail culture forward, from reimagining menus as magazines to pairing drinks with unexpected rituals like oysters and fries, framing bars as cultural touchpoints rather than simply places to drink. At the same time, Uno has always been committed to embracing growth and nurturing the next generation of bartenders. As a mentor, he guides young talents through the creative process of cocktail-making, instilling not just technical precision but also the spirit of hospitality and the courage to evolve with the times.
Under Uno’s leadership, Jigger & Pony has continued to define Singapore’s cocktail identity on the global stage—ranking No. 9 at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025, No. 3 at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025, and winning accolades such as Best International Hotel Bar at the 2023 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. Uno has also been recognised among the Top 10 International Bartender of the Year at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards for three consecutive years. Yet beyond awards, Uno’s impact is seen in the culture he fosters: a belief that bars, at their best, are places of belonging, creativity, and growth.
Instagram: @uno_jang_
About Jigger & Pony Group
Singapore-based hospitality company Jigger & Pony Group was founded in 2012 with the purpose of creating spaces in the community where guests can find comfort, forge friendships, and share happiness. Driven by its ethos of convivial hospitality and ownership of craft, the Group takes pride in building inclusive and vibrant F&B communities that draw both domestic consumers and international visitors. A pioneer in Singapore’s cocktail industry, its flagship bar, Jigger & Pony, is a mainstay on both The World’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Bars lists.
In addition to Jigger & Pony, the Group’s portfolio in Singapore includes a diverse collection of awarded concepts of cocktail bars and restaurants: timeless and flavour-driven bar Gibson; mid-century modern Japan-inspired Live Twice; seafood bistro and oyster bar Humpback, modern Italian restaurant Caffe Fernet; Pop City x Pony, a Japanese-lifestyle, cocktail-first bar that celebrates craft, culture, and creative expression; and BOP (Bartenders of Pony), a one-of-its-kind Korean cocktail dining-bar. In July 2024, Jigger & Pony Group expanded internationally with the launch of Cosmo Pony, a signature cocktail bar located at Grand Hyatt Jakarta.
Website: https://www.jiggerandponygroup.com/
Instagram: @jiggerandponygroup