When we talk about clubs, there is no doubt about it. The first club that will come to everyone’s mind will definitely be that which resides at Jiak Kim Street. Opened in 1991, Zouk has grown into a club like no other, with a #5 ranking in the DJ Mag Top 100 Clubs global poll the past 2 years.

The building itself is not any less special too! The building belonged to three warehouses and by the time Zouk management took over the space, the walls were crumbling and the roof was already nowhere to be seen. Zouk restored the building to its original state on the exterior and created a modern interior. Since then Zouk has revamped itself many times over the years, the last one being in 2005.

As we all know, Zouk has signed a new lease for a 30,000 square foot space at Block C in Clarke Quay and will be moving over this year. Here are some things we love about Zouk, and if you’ve ever clubbed at Zouk, you’d definitely be able to relate to these!

Dinner at Zion Rd Hawker/Great World City McDonalds – Can’t drink on an empty stomach, so why not? It’s cheap and good.

Holiday Inn Alcohol – Back when drinking in public was not against the law, everyone would flood to Holiday Inn to buy bottles of liquor after getting the entry stamp at Zouk. They will then proceed to sit next to the Singapore River and then drink to their hearts content.

Citibank Clear Card – The first question to be asked after the trip to Zouk has been confirmed. “Eh who got Citibank Clear Card ah?” The most important question since the credit card has exclusive benefits at the super club. Free entry to Zouk, 1 for 1 drinks at Wine bar and Velvet. Of course, the 1 for 1 drinks at Wine bar must be put to good use at the Wine Bar before entering Zouk, to order everyone’s favourite drink there…

Sour Plum Shots! – Rumoured to have been invented by Singapore, these sour plum vodka shots are always so amazing at first. Then the more you have, the weirder it starts to taste. The seemingly negligible alcohol content also starts to hit you like a speeding car. Still, it is a must-have whenever we make our visits to Zouk. The Citibank Clear Card also ensures that we get two trays of Sour Plum Shots at the price of one tray. (Now you know why it’s important to find out who has that particular card!)

Judging the weird dancers – There will ALWAYS be some guy in the crowd who dances like he is the king of pop. Maybe the amount of liquor he consumed allowed him to think like that, but to everyone around him, it just looks ridiculous and it can keep people entertained for hours.

The Hot Dog Stand – As all drinkers should know, there will definitely come a point in the night halfway through the drinking/dancing session where someone will declare “Eh…I’m hungry. Hotdog?” And half the group will start making their way across the crowd and out of the club to get some food from the stand. The hotdog with mashed potato is legendary. Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol making everything tastes better, but the hot food available there always makes the clubbers rave about how good the food is before passing the food to their friends to prove their point. “Nice right??”

A walk behind Zouk – With the Singapore River just behind Zouk, that means a lot of late night walks along the river.When your friend nearly gets into fight at 3 am,  that is the place to cool them down. When your friend just had his/her heart broken, that walk is where the most sincere and deepest thoughts were spoken aloud. The end of the conversation usually offers no real conclusion was given, but it always feels nice to have a friend with you in times like this.

Hailing the cab at 4am – As we stumble out onto the main road at 4am with the music still ringing in our ears and the liquor still making you woozy, the zombie horde like of clubbers would flood the main road and start making a walk against the traffic, in hope of getting a cab first. “Eh you go first you go first. Reach home text us.”

All in all, I am sure that countless memories were made at Zouk. Precious memories with friends who has been with you through the most fun times, and also there when you needed a drink in you. All the stupid things that we have done with our friends at Zouk, getting wasted, getting into fights. Even if Zouk will be shifting to Clarke Quay, a new generation of clubbers will still forge those precious memories there. Because it was never really about the venue. It has always been about who was there with you.

“Good friends know the exact number of drinks you can handle before you make poor choices. Great friends hand you that drink.”