While the term “binge drinking” might conjure thoughts of wild parties and tequila shots, three glasses of wine at Christmas also counts. Federal health officials define binge drinking as four or more drinks on one occasion for women, and five or more for men.

Most people know that binge drinking, especially when it’s frequent, is dangerous for health. But is it still risky if you drink rarely, or not at all, for most of the year? We asked a few experts who study alcohol for their take.

ARE THERE POTENTIAL LONG-TERM RISKS?

When you drink alcohol, your body turns it into a toxic substance called acetaldehyde, which can damage DNA throughout your body – including in your mouth, throat, liver, colon and breasts. Each time your body repairs its DNA, cancerous mutations may arise, raising the risk for at least seven types of cancer.

Many of these harms develop with repeated drinking over years, said Denis M McCarthy, a professor of psychology at the University of Missouri who studies how alcohol influences behavior.

It’s unlikely that one night of binge drinking would cause a condition like cancer, said Dr Michael Siegel, a professor of public health and community medicine who researches alcohol at the Tufts University School of Medicine. But few, if any, studies have explored the long-term risks of occasional binge drinking, so we don’t know for sure.

It would be challenging to design a study that could investigate whether a one-night bender would result in chronic disease, said Mariann Piano, a professor emerita at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing who studies alcohol. If someone develops stomach cancer, for instance, there is no way to trace it back to a party years earlier.

But alcohol is addictive, and if one night of drinking leads to many more, the risk for chronic disease could rise, Dr Siegel said.

WHAT ABOUT SHORT-TERM RISKS?

Occasional binge drinking could have more immediate dangers, including a condition that becomes more common during the year-end holidays, called holiday heart syndrome. It occurs when alcohol interferes with the electrical signals in your heart that coordinate the contraction of your cardiac cells, resulting in a rapid, irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation, Dr Piano said.

This can increase the risk of stroke or heart failure, particularly among those who are already at higher risk, such as adults over 65 or those with high blood pressure. Most people who develop holiday heart syndrome recover within about 24 hours of their symptoms. But if you feel your heart beating irregularly and also have chest pain or lightheadedness, consider visiting an emergency department, Dr Piano said.

Occasional binge drinking can also change your behaviour in dangerous ways. According to the most recent data from the US Department of Transportation, drunk-driving accidents spike around Christmas and New Year’s. In December 2022, drunk-driving deaths were the highest they had been within the previous 15 years.

When you drink, the organ that decides “whether you’re impaired is also impaired,” Dr McCarthy said. Alcohol affects your brain, which governs decision-making, so you might not realiseyou’re drunk.

HOW CAN YOU DRINK MORE MINDFULLY AROUND THE HOLIDAYS?

If you know you’ll be drinking more than usual, experts say there a few ways to lower – but not eliminate – the health risks.

EAT FIRST. If you can eat before you drink alcohol, you’ll be in better shape, Dr Piano said. A full stomach slows the absorption of alcohol, which gives your liver more time to process the toxins. This can reduce how drunk you get and the dangers that may bring.

HYDRATE. Having water or other nonalcoholic beverages between drinks can help you stay hydrated (which may also lessen your hangover) and help you drink less overall.

DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE RED WINE HEALTH HALO. Many people believe that wine, especially red wine, is less harmful than beer or spirits, said Kara Wiseman, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. But this is a misconception. “It doesn’t matter if it’s wine or beer or liquor,” she said. Your body breaks down the alcohol into acetaldehyde all the same.

UNDERSTAND YOUR LIMITS. If you rarely drink alcohol, that’s great for your health – but that might also mean that you have a lower tolerance, Dr Siegel said, making you more susceptible to poor decision-making and risky behaviours.

DON’T EXPECT TO SOBER UP QUICKLY. An after-dinner espresso might make you feel more alert, but it won’t improve your motor skills or judgement or make it safe to drive, Dr McCarthy said. The same goes for any pills or tablets that may claim to make you less drunk. “We don’t have a ‘sober-up pill,’” Dr McCarthy said. The only thing that can sober you up is time.

By Caroline Hopkins Legaspi © The New York Times Company

The article originally appeared in The New York Times.

I remember Bar Stories as one of the first places where I was introduced to bespoke cocktails more than a decade ago. 

Along Haji Lane, now crowded with photo booths, tarot readers and plushie shops, the bar’s discreet signage still looks the same. Its lettering is barely visible unless you already know where to look. If you know, you know. The space remains tucked away upstairs, unchanged even as the neighbourhood around it has transformed.

It's the same inside. The layout feels familiar, except for the first floor now being occupied by Li'l Habibi restaurant that also provides food for the bar. But the vibe is the same, and so is the no-menu concept.

Once you take a seat, the bartender won’t hand you a fancy book filled with cocktail stories. Instead, they’ll ask what you feel like drinking tonight. Maybe you want something acidic, gin-based and served in a Tiki-style cocktail. They will build a drink around that. And that entirely tailored experience has been at the heart of Bar Stories since the beginning.

THE OGS OF SINGAPORE’S BESPOKE COCKTAIL SCENE

Back in 2008, craft cocktails simply weren’t a thing in Singapore. Pubs and hotel bars still defined most drinking experiences, and the idea of modern mixology had yet to enter the mainstream. 

There was cocktail heritage, of course, as Raffles Hotel famously introduced the Singapore Sling in 1915. But outside of the hotel circuit, only a handful of independent pioneers were experimenting with this new wave of cocktail making: Nektar, Tippling Club and Klee. 

Nektar, known for its creative side of cocktail creation and presentation, opened in 2010 before closing in 2014, while Tippling Club, which offered high-end food alongside craft cocktails with an avant-garde, chef-driven approach, eventually closed in 2024.

Meanwhile, Klee emerged as a tiny bespoke cocktail bar at Portsdown Road in 2008, and is widely regarded as Singapore’s first true bespoke cocktail bar. Its concept was simple: no menu, just tell us your mood. When Klee closed in late 2010, its shareholders carried that same DNA over to Haji Lane and opened Bar Stories the same year.

FROM CUSTOMER TO CO-OWNER

The current owner, David Koh, joined Bar Stories a year after it opened, and his first encounter with the bar was completely accidental.

One afternoon, the then-31-year-old was shopping for boxing gloves along Haji Lane when he wandered past a shophouse with a sign he couldn’t quite read. “I walked down the street and saw all these very cool boutiques… and then I couldn’t read the sign of this place,” he recalled. Curious, he walked upstairs and saw piles of herbs and fruits being unpacked. He was working as a cook then, so the fresh produce immediately intrigued him.

Inside, he noticed something unusual behind the counter: herbs and fruits being prepped like a kitchen station. “I asked the bartender at the time, ‘What are all these herbs for? Roasting a chicken?’” he said. “Back then, no one was juicing citrus to order. Everything was sour mix and bottled stuff. Here, everything was fresh. They made their own syrups, their own infusions. I was like, wow, this is very interesting.”

At the time, he had been thinking about leaving his job at the restaurant, and the bar manager then overheard him mentioning it. On the spot, he asked Koh if he wanted to work there. From walk-in customer in 2011 to staff member, then manager, and eventually co-owner in 2014, Koh has grown with Bar Stories for almost its entire existence.

A MENU THAT NEVER EXISTED

Singapore today has one of the most dynamic bar scenes in the world. New concepts appear constantly, trends shift every year and global rankings continue to shine a spotlight on the industry. Yet Bar Stories has never deviated from its original identity. It still has no menu and, according to Koh, probably never will.

It is part of their DNA, and Koh believes it is one of the reasons behind the bar’s longevity. The approach forces the team to think creatively every day, and it educates customers as much as it trains bartenders. Back when bespoke cocktails were rare, most customers ordered classics like Long Island Iced Teas or Screwdrivers.

“People only asked for classics,” Koh said. “So it was nice to make something new for them, a creation, and introduce them to other flavours.”

Fresh fruit and herbs have always been a cornerstone of the bar. Koh still sources much of his produce from the wet markets near his home. While the bar buys citrus in bulk, seasonal fruits are chosen based on what looks and smells best that day.

New bartenders begin with the foundations: technique, balance and understanding flavour. “We don’t have a strong background in classics because we create everything,” he said. “But we still teach them. Every recipe comes with a roadmap, and here’s how you can branch off into ten different drinks.”

And while there isn’t an official menu, there is one constant in their drinks – they must look good. "Something that is also in our DNA is having it visually appealing, without it being over the top or nonsensical. We still care about the garnish.”

SMALL IN SIZE, BIG IN IDENTITY

Bar Stories tends to keep to itself. There is no marketing team, no PR machine and no brand sponsors dictating what goes on the shelves. The team chooses products they believe in, focuses on flavour and maintains a style of hospitality that feels intimate and personal. That independence also shapes how the bar views recognition and its place in the industry.

“I’m not beholden to any sponsors or brands. We pick what we want to work with… I’m always focused on flavour, as opposed to maybe being forced to use a certain ingredient that might not be the best for my cocktails.”

With 50 Best being one of the biggest awards in the bar industry, Koh says he isn’t chasing accolades. “Of course, 50 Best is something everyone would like. But if you really chase that, you start doing more marketing, more lobbying, playing the game. At the end of the day, 50 Best doesn’t pay the bills. The customers do. My benchmark is when someone tells me, ‘We’ve visited all these other bars and this is the best cocktail we’ve had.’”

Still, the industry has recognised his own work. Koh was nominated for the Bar Manager of the Year award at the World Gourmet Summit in 2019.

Being small has strengthened the internal culture too. “We’ve always had this very laid-back, casual vibe to us. We have more ownership,” Koh said. “That trickles down to how we serve: more personal and intimate. They see the way we handle hospitality. The hospitality, I would say, is the core of our long term.”

The team currently has four full-timers and three part-timers, a small group that keeps the operation intentionally tight-knit.

And while the bar remains small, its influence has stretched far. Over the years, Bar Stories’ alumni have gone on to work at some of Singapore’s top cocktail bars, including Jigger and Pony, 28 HongKong Street, Offtrack and Native.

THE DOUBLE-EDGED REALITY OF INDEPENDENCE 

But independence also comes with challenges. One of Koh’s main concerns is the limited internal career path for his team, as an independent bar has no larger group or network for staff to grow within. Another challenge is the shift in consumer behaviour, with people spending less on nights out at bars compared to previous years. And like the rest of the industry, the bar also faces the ongoing pressure of rising rent.

Despite rising costs, Bar Stories has barely raised its prices. “We haven’t raised our prices… now our maximum is like 26. So we actually haven’t raised our prices in like 15 years, which is a bit crazy,” Koh said. “I feel like paying 28, 29 dollars is a bit much.”

Koh shared that their rental was raised by a “humongous amount”, forcing him to question whether to stay or move.

“In 15 years here, I’ve always seen a cycle in business. Busy, slow, busy, slow. For the last two years, it hasn’t been cyclical. That’s the scary part. We don’t know when the pickup is going to be.”

The pandemic also reshaped drinking habits. Recovery has been uneven, and manpower remains tight. Yet loyal customers kept the bar afloat during those uncertain years.

A LIFE POURED INTO A BAR

Bar Stories has witnessed countless first dates, long-time regulars and even customers who met there, married and later returned to take their wedding photos. Koh remembers one woman who became a familiar face at the bar; now, her daughters visit too.

Overseas guests return after years away and say it still feels like home.

While Koh admits this is “the most trying period in our history”, the emotional pull is strong.

“There’s so much sentimental attachment to this place. On one hand, it hurts to think about leaving. On the other hand, it might not be bad to have a change of environment, as long as the spirit stays the same.”

When asked what is next for Bar Stories: “Right now, the next big thing is just to survive.”
 
Bar Stories is located on 57A Haji Lane. 

Nine-year-old child actress Ivory Chia nabbed the award for best actress in a supporting role (Asia-Pacific) at this year's Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA) for her performance in the hit Mediacorp series Emerald Hill. A couple of CNA documentaries also picked up trophies: Addicted – The Synthetic Curse and Karikal Mahal: A Silent Witness.

AACA 2025 was held on Thursday (Dec 4) night at the Capitol Theatre in Singapore.

Chia's win comes just two months after she clinched the title of best actress in a supporting role (Singapore), which qualified her to compete in the Asia-Pacific category.

Other nominees in the same category include Korean actress and Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung (Pachinko 2), Taiwanese star Fang Wenlin (Though Dead, Still Alive), TVB actress Yoyo Chen (DID 12) and Chinese actress He Ruixian (Feud).

With this, Chia is also the youngest actor to ever win at the AACA, which just concluded its eighth edition.

Chia made a name for herself with her standout performance as young Xinniang (aka Tasha Low) – a child beggar raised by Chen Liping’s compulsive gambler Ah Zhu – in the 2025 The Little Nyonya spin-off.

At the ceremony, Chia arrived in a striking blue-and-pink floral sarong kebaya. When her name was announced, she shot to her feet in shock, hands over her mouth, before confidently prancing onstage to accept her award from 987 DJs Sonia Chew and Joakim Gomez.

"Thank you, AACA, for this incredible honour," gushed Chia before proceeding to thank Mediacorp as well as the show's executive producer, director and scriptwriter.

She also thanked the crew for taking such good care of her, all while panting from excitement, prompting Gomez to gently reassure her, “You got this.”

"Okay, I'd like to thank the audience for supporting us and my family members, thank you for encouraging me, your encouragement means a lot to me," continued Chia.

Of course, she didn't forget her Emerald Hill family too.

"My on-screen nya nyas [mums], Chen Liping and Jesseca Liu, thank you for giving me warmth and confidence in every scene," she beamed.

CNA DOCUMENTARIES ALSO BAG AWARDS

In addition to Chia's win, several Mediacorp productions also picked up trophies at Thursday's event.

These include Karikal Mahal: A Silent Witness, whose director Rowena Loh nabbed the award for best direction (non-fiction), as well as CNA's Addicted – The Synthetic Curse, which won the award for best documentary series.

The former is a factual drama about one of Singapore's oldest heritage landmarks, a mansion that was built in the early 1900s by a business man from India dubbed the "Cattle King" named Kader Sultan. Meanwhile the latter is a three-part series that looks at the world of drug production and trafficking, and its impact on communities around the world.

The song Bebas, from Mediacorp's Malay-language drama Korban Part 2, also walked away with the award for best theme song.

This story was originally published in 8Days.

For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/