Erika Danielle Is Your New Favourite Bartender

Erika Danielle’s one of the most buzzy figures in the region’s booming agave movement right now – and one of its most inventive. Having just stepped away from her role as head bartender of Cat Bite Club (ranked 44th on Asia’s 50 Best Bars last year, by the way), she’s built a name for herself through cocktails that channel her obsession with Mexican spirits and unexpected inspirations — think chicken pate or dish-driven flavour pairings — into something both playful and precise.

But for Danielle, 27, being a great bartender isn’t just about the drinks; it’s also about reading the room, noticing the tiniest cues and shaping the night around each guest. Small wonder that she nabbed the regional champion title at the 2023 Nikka Perfect Serve for Singapore and Malaysia just one year into joining the industry. The competition follows the Japanese philosophy of Ichi‑go Ichi‑e – “one moment, one encounter” – where every interaction counts, and a bartender must be fully present to tailor each drink and experience to a guest’s mood.

It’s a philosophy that melds perfectly with her own ethos. “I always like to remind people that we bartenders are purveyors of a good time,” she tells us. “We get to have multiple chances in a night to make someone’s day better than it was before they came in.”

Here, Danielle dishes up more on her craft and journey:

Erika! How did you first get into bartending?

“I first got into bartending during COVID. I was working in a fusion restaurant that does cocktail deliveries. Then, when cocktail bars slowly started reopening, I joined Low Tide as part of the opening team as a floor associate, but started to learn more about rum, spirits, and classics. After two years, I became a junior bartender at 28 HongKong Street, where I learnt my basics and developed myself further in the craft.”

Favourite drink to make and why?

I love making a Negroni or variations of it. It has all the qualities I want in a drink: strong, bitter, sweet, and you can always change the base. I can always change the base spirit from gin that’s usually botanical to mezcal for herbal-sweet complexity. Plus, it’s a good sipper – I like to savour my drinking.”

What’s a small detail in bartending that people often overlook, but you think really matters?

“People often overlook that bartenders need to be a low-key, all-knowing presence in a bar. A bartender’s eyes should always be scanning the room and the bar itself, reading micro-expressions that signal whether a guest enjoyed a drink or needs help, while staying aware of stock, teammates, and the overall rhythm of the space.

Alongside that comes listening, picking up small cues about what’s coming next. That kind of awareness signals presence. It means knowing what’s happening without being told and anticipating needs before they’re voiced. It’s a small, often invisible detail, but it’s what turns service from reactive into intuitive and makes guests feel genuinely cared for.”

What’s it really like to be a bartender in the local scene today?

“The journey of a bartender can be very different. You can be a competition bartender, a standard operations bartender, a social media bartender, you can do brand work while being a bartender, and there are plenty of other pathways that can open up depending on other non-bartending skills you have. It can be overwhelming to decide which pathway to take, especially since this career is mostly learned through experience and is self-directed, but I think that variety makes bartending a bigger world and a dignified career – it’s no longer contained as just a service role.

But to be steady and successful throughout, you have to have personality and a good attitude – this is how people in the industry remember you and open up doors for you. This industry places a higher value on being adaptable, flexible, and serious about bartending, while balancing that with creating an easy environment and memorable experiences. You don’t need to go to school to pursue this career – you just need sheer curiosity and determination to be better than yesterday.

You can also learn from industry experts, legends, and icons – they are more than happy to impart their knowledge. Masterclasses, guest shifts, bar shows, and cocktail events are plentiful throughout the year, so the opportunity to meet them is there. There are also many international programmes that allow for exchanges, festival programmes, and even a few free scholarships targeting bartenders, as the scene is collectively improving around the world.

It really depends on the individual and how they navigate this career, like any other industry – but what makes this special is that the scene is communal at heart. We want to uplift each other as much as we can and collectively become a better industry.”

How has the local bar scene changed since you first started?

“When I first started, it felt like an era of exploration and risk as things were slowly reopening after COVID. Learning flair bartending was popular at that time, along with conversations around and the adaptation of sustainability in bar practices. There was also a big focus on knowing classics and techniques – sometimes fellow bartenders would test you on obscure classics to see if you were respectable (they still do today, but less).

At this point, Singapore’s cocktail scene is becoming more mature, moving towards intentionality over performance, and creating spaces for a community’s needs. For example, Cat Bite Club serves as a space for a niche interest in agave and rice-based spirits, but also functions as a neighbourhood bar that’s casual and inviting.”

Advice for aspiring bartenders?

“You’ve got to love being a bartender. There are going to be really great days where operations are smooth, everyone’s nice, and the vibe of the bar is great. And then there will be the bad and the ugly – really ugly days where machines break down, you accidentally break a glass in your ice well and have to close your station and reset in the middle of a rush, a guest is awful, and so many things can go wrong. Loving what you do will carry you through the worst days.

Plus, I’d like to remind people what we get to do in this job. We are purveyors of a good time. We get multiple chances in a night to make someone’s day better than when they came in. We get to make drinks and connections with all kinds of people. We get that instant gratification with a team when it’s a good shift – and if not, we’ll just drink beer after.”

What’s your go-to drink after a long shift? Where are you at?

“I have two answers for this. When I’m really tired, I have a stout and chicken wings at Jeffo’s. They have live bands and a lively yet cosy atmosphere. If I want to stay out and potentially bump into my friends, it’ll be a tequila soda at Skinny’s Lounge. You can find me singing along to pop punk tunes or maybe even dancing with strangers. I’ve been going there for years, and it’s been my safe space to hang out and fully be myself – loud and lively.”

What do you want to explore next in your work?

“I want to explore brand work with upcoming spirits and dive deeper into other spirit categories, especially rum. Like mezcal, rum has a huge diversity and is produced worldwide. It doesn’t get as much attention right now, and I think there’s an opportunity to reconnect people with the spirit.”

PHOTOGRAPHY LAWRENCE TEO ART DIRECTION JONATHAN CHIA

HAIR TAN ENG CHONG/KIZUKI+LIM MAKEUP SARAH TAN

An adapted version of this article first appeared in Volume 7 of F ZINE.