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A good cocktail comes down to style, according to Mad Monkey bar manager Mean  Saven, who delicately cuts fruit into intricate designs which he uses to garnish each cocktail.

For The Mad Monkey cocktail, a fusion of mango juiciness and alcohol delight, Saven Mean can take up to 20 minutes creating its garnish – the face of a mad monkey studded by toothpick holes on the skin of a slice of mango.

“We have to put our Mad Monkey style on our drink,” he says.

“For us, it’s all about style. A person will see someone drinking a cocktail and think, ‘Ah, that looks good. I want to try that too’.”

The hit of this particular mad drink, without considering its style, is its unique blend of fruitiness and alcoholic potency.  

Unique because it changes with each person, according to Saven.

The bar manager carefully judges each patron’s appearance to determine what kind of ‘strength’ they have, or in mad monkey terms, how much alcohol they can take.

“I know what people like, usually I can tell just by looking at them whether they like it strong, medium or light,” he says, swearing that he gets it right 80 per cent of the time.  

As a general rule he says men like The Mad Monkey stronger than woman do, but he is not thrown off by a pretty face.

“Even if the women are pretty on the outside I can tell most of the time what strength they are on the inside,” he says.

If you’re out for a night to remember, perhaps go for a look that brings out your softer side.

But if it’s a night you’d much rather forget, give your strength factor a kick with a more macho getup.

Ingredients: Vodka, Gin, Blue Curacao, Mango juice and a little bit of ooh ooh ah ah!

Cost: US$3.50. Happy Hour, 5pm to 8pm, $3

Address: The Mad Monkey, #26 Street 302.