The spirit of cocktails past lives on at Republic bar in The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

Martin Villareal deftly stirs a cocktail with his spiral bar spoon, pinkie finger up at a jaunty angle. It is a quotidian act for any bartender — measure, mix, strain, serve. But this particular libation, the Queen’s Dubonnet, comes with a breathtaking S$175 price tag. The rationale: It is a piece of liquid history, a rare taste of a sepia-toned past.

In the mixer swirls one part James Burrough Beefeater London Dry Gin and two parts Dubonnet, both from the 1960s. Do you know how many bottles of these spirits from the 1960s are available today? Me neither. But the short answer is: Not many.