【Naked Reunion (1993)】

Just when you thought cocktails couldn't get more offbeat,Naked Reunion (1993) now they're putting ants in your drink.

One new bar in Singapore is taking the edible insect trend to gourmet proportions. At Native, the S$23 ($16) "Antz" cocktail comes with local ants blended into the yoghurt-based drink.

SEE ALSO: Would you wash your hands with leftovers from old cocktails?

On top of the cup, larger crunchy black Thai ants rest in a liquid nitrogen-frozen leaf with basil cubes that melt in your mouth.

You're supposed to pop the entire leaf in your mouth and crunch on the ants before you sip on the drink.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable "Sometimes, ant legs get stuck in people's teeth."

"Sometimes, little bits of the ant legs and parts get stuck in people's teeth," says Vijay Mudaliar, founder and head bartender at Native, who created the drink.

He explained that he had to import Thai ants because the Singapore weaver ants have ascorbic acid -- Vitamin C -- which give them a sour taste. That went well with the yoghurt and rum, but he needed the larger Thai polyrhachis ant for its crunch.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"I tried maybe seven different types of ants before I found the sour weaver one. We don't have crunchy ants in Singapore," he said.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The ants will certainly raise an eyebrow or two, but Vijay insists he isn't aiming for the shock factor with the unconventional ingredient.

He says the drink creation is his nod to São Paulo top chef Alex Atala, who's been known to use Brazilian ants in his high-end creations.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Vijay's other drinks are similarly reliant on local flavours -- albeit without the shock factor of insects.

Some of the ingredients on Native's menu include the Tongkat Ali root, long regarded as an aphrodisiac in Southeast Asia, and home-made coconut yoghurt.

Even the batik fabric on the staff's aprons is another local-flavoured detail.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"It makes more sense for the bar to be Southeast Asian themed, because that's what we're familiar with.

"So many bars (in Singapore) are like New York speakeasies, or New Orleans clubs -- why don't we do something we know?" Vijay said.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Meet 'Somabar' - the robotic bartender

---

• Shopping
• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Tech
• Life

• The Anatomy of Liberal Melancholy
• Black Friday gaming console deal: Xbox Series S and Series X bundles are up to $120 off
• A Study of Kanai Mieko
• Best deals of the day Feb. 15: Dyson V7 Advanced, 2021 iPad, Arlo home security bundle, and more
• Best travel deal: Score the Frontier Go Wild! summer pass for just $399
• Why the Father of Modern Neuroscience Was Obsessed with Fiction
• Reading the Police Blotter
• Emoji Poetry Contest
• NYT mini crossword answers for April 24, 2025
• On Basquiat, the Black Body, and a Strange Sensation in My Neck

• Best Samsung TV deal: Save $1,700 on Samsung S84D 4K OLED TV
• Hands on with Lenovo's 'rollable' display laptop at CES 2025
• Best Samsung TV deal: Save $310 on Samsung 75
• Best Apple Watch deal: Save $50 on Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)
• CES 2025: New Satechi hub fixes the most annoying thing about the Mac mini
• New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka 2025 livestream: Watch 2nd ODI for free
• Therabody Theragun Prime deal: $229 at Best Buy
• CES 2025: Dreame's X50 Ultra can climb stairs. Kind of.
• Nvidia's Digits is a tiny AI supercomputer for your desk
• NYT mini crossword answers for January 7, 2025

• TikTok wants me to host a dinner party. Is that an actual recession indicator?
• Black Friday MacBook deals: M1, M2, and M3 at record lows
• Here's a timeline of the OpenAI saga with CEO Sam Altman
• A Visit to the Musée d’Edith Piaf
• Sunday's Fat Bear Week match pits two fat favorites against each other
• Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao pleads guilty to money laundering violation, steps down
• Redux: Elizabeth Bishop, Evan S. Connell, and Diane di Prima by The Paris Review
• John Milton’s Strange Christmas Poem by Ed Simon
• How to unblock Xnxx for free
• Walmart Plus free trial: How to sign up for Black Friday 2023 deals

• What's Thermal Throttling and How to Prevent It
• GoPro Hero 12 Black deal: Get the GoPro Hero 12 Black bundle for $349.99
• Here's a timeline of the OpenAI saga with CEO Sam Altman
• Revisited: Watership Down
• Best Garmin deal: Save over $100 on Garmin Forerunner 955
• Emoji Poetry Contest
• A Rare Look Inside the Library at Grey Gardens
• The Schizophrenic Sentence by Jeff Dolven
• Nvidia DLSS: An Early Investigation
• OkCupid uses ChatGPT to write matching questions