Thirst aid: Singapore pubs mix new cocktails for Trump-Kim summit

SINGAPORE - As Singapore prepares for a much-anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, its bars are offering cocktails featuring the Korean spirit, soju, to mark the event.

Hopheads, a tapas bar near the wealthy city state's busy shopping district, will offer the "Bromance", made with beer, tequila, diet Coke and soju, the distilled rice liquor many Koreans consider their national drink.

"We have decided to use diet Coke as it is Trump's favourite beverage," manager Carlo Ibanez told Reuters, adding that a sticker of Trump and Kim puckering up would accompany the drink.

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The drink mixes 150 ml of Asahi black beer with 60 ml of diet Coke, 20 ml tequila and 30 ml white grape soju.

It takes two to make a bromance, so the cocktail will only be served in pairs, at S$19.90 ($14.89) for both, although Kim is unlikely to share a toast with Trump, who does not drink alcohol.

"Customers will also be awarded a world peace sticker after drinking the cocktail," Ibanez said. "We all hope something good would come out of this summit." Trump on Friday confirmed he would meet Kim as previously planned, despite having cancelled the summit on May 24, citing Pyongyang's "open hostility".

The high-stakes summit on June 12 will be the first such meeting between a North Korean leader and an incumbent US president.

With thousands of journalists and foreign delegates expected to converge on the island, gastropub Escobar is also eyeing the golden opportunity.

Escobar's special drinks are named "Trump" and "Kim". The former is a blue, bourbon-based cocktail and the latter is red, with soju as its base. Each is priced at S$12.60, a nod to the date of the meeting.

Owner Stan Sri Ganesh said both drinks use equal portions of alcohol, to avoid controversy about which was the stronger.

"The summit is one of the biggest events in recent world history," Ganesh told Reuters. "I just felt that we needed to get into the act too." The new cocktails have boosted business and Ganesh is considering making them a fixture on the menu, he said.

"We are also inviting all delegates and media who are in town for the summit if they need a place to wind down," he added. "Their first drink will be on us."