Ong lai means pineapple in Hokkien, and the fruit is seen as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune.

In the wake of Mr Tharman’s victory, businesses have been inspired to find creative ways to feature the humble pineapple in their products, leading to online commentators dubbing the phenomenon “Tharmania”.

For instance, Indian eatery Semma Bistro in Springside Walk along Sembawang Road is offering a pineapple ong lai cocktail to mark Mr Tharman’s win. The drink will be available until the end of the month.

Every night, the bistro has been selling between 10 and 15 glasses of the $24 cocktail – a blend of pineapple, gin and rum, said bistro owner Stan Ganesh, 41.

He added: “We used to make cocktails for the Trump-Kim summit, which were a hit with the customers. I thought, ‘How much further can we spice things up at an Indian restaurant?’

“We wanted to have some fun and jump on the election fever by creating our own cocktail.”