Straight out of Tropic City, the Hibiscus Paloma is a refreshing, sugar-free take on a hot weather classic, perfect for tropical drinking – created by Plai Natrucha. Ingredients: 60ml Tequila 50ml Hibiscus & Stevia water*  30ml Fresh Grapefruit juice 15ml Fresh Lime juice Soda top-up Tajín powder (garnish) Grapefruit wedge (garnish) *Make the Hibiscus & Stevia Water:   500ml water 20g hibiscus 10g stevia Mix all the ingredients in the water and stir until stevia dissolves. Me

A variation of a Negroni, Erika Danielle creates a mezcal concoction that's reminiscent of a bittersweet smokey coffee with a punch. Ingredients: 30ml Mezcal 20ml Sweet Vermouth 5ml Coffee Liqueur 15ml Campari 3 dashes Orange Bitters Method: Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass with a large rocks ice and garnish with an orange twist.

At Biso in Penang, Kar Ve puts a playful, almost scientific spin on the classic espresso martini with their signature Double Espresso. The drink combines a classic espresso martini (in sphere form) that's suspended inside a crystal-clear, clarified version of the same cocktail. Ingredients: 45ml Geisha coffee distillate* 15ml Dry vermouth 10ml Giffard White Cacao 5ml Vodka 1 Espresso Martini sphere* *Make the Espresso Martini sphere: First, make the Espresso Martini (shake 50

Created by Eunike Katherine of Modernhaus in Jakarta, this fun cocktail sits at the intersection of Indonesia's matcha craze, strawberries, and chocolate whey. Ingredients: 50ml Gin 20ml White chocolate whey* 15ml Strawberry syrup 10ml Lemon juice Matcha foam* (top up) *Make the White Chocolate Whey: 100g white chocolate 30ml lemon juice 250ml warm milk Mix white chocolate and lemon juice in warm milk until completely dissolved, then double strain with cheese cloth. *Make th

Vietnam is one of the strongest agricultural powerhouses in Southeast Asia, with some of its commodity outputs ranking the country among the world's top ten. It's a remarkable feat, given that Vietnam was struggling to feed itself just a couple of decades back as a result of constant power struggles. Nurtured by the Mekong Delta and assisted by strong agricultural policies, rice became one of the country's biggest exports. Rice is a staple part of Vietnamese cuisine, used in

Created by Ning of BKK Social Club in Bangkok, the Smoked Lychee is more than a blend of flavors – it's a tribute to the femininity, creativity, and individuality of women everywhere. The cocktail reveals delicate floral notes, gentle fruitiness, and a subtle woody fragrance that lingers gracefully. Bold yet graceful, complex yet harmonious, it embodies strength expressed with elegance, and individuality celebrated without compromise. Ingredients: 35ml Mezcal 15ml Lychee liqu

Tamaryn Cooper of Dry Wave Cocktail Studio in Bangkok recreates the iconic drink Hanky Panky. It's a classic cocktail created by none other than Ada Coleman – the first female head bartender at the American Bar in The Savoy in London. Coley is thought to have created her now famous cocktail in 1921, which appears in Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book . Ingredients: 45ml gin 45ml sweet vermouth 5ml Fernet-Branca Garnish with orange twist Method: Add all the wet ingredien

At any cocktail bar, the centerpiece is undoubtedly the bar counter: it defines the space as a 'bar' that serves booze. This long, elevated surface serves the purpose of not just serving drinks to customers (standing or sitting), but also a space for conversation between both sides of the counter. The bar counter seems so natural that it’s easy to assume it has always existed. In reality, it emerged in the 19th century alongside another important development in drinking cultu

March 5th is Absinthe Day. Long misunderstood and even demonized, absinthe is actually versatile, approachable,  and worth rediscovering. Here are two modern takes on absinthe, reimagined from some of our favorite Southeast Asian bartenders. Created by Angel Ji (the co-founder of KL's longstanding PS150), this cocktail – simply called "That Absinthe Cocktail" – represents an introduction to absinthe: approachable, simple, easily sourced, and NOLO optional. Ingredients: 30ml

There’s a persistent myth in Southeast Asia that “women didn’t really drink back then.” That cocktails are a modern invention. History says otherwise. If you leaf through newspapers, memoirs, advertisements, and society columns from interwar Malaya, you’ll find women drinking – sometimes discreetly, sometimes defiantly, often stylishly – as early as the 1920s. Not just sipping sherry in the corner, but attending cocktail parties, hosting pahit parties, and eventually being j

Julie Nguyen of Opium Bar (Bangkok) created this cocktail, which was inspired by Chinese New Year traditions: mandarin for luck and prosperity, pickled ginger for cleansing warmth at festive feasts, and smoky mezcal evoking firecrackers that usher in renewal. Spicy, savory, and auspicious. Ingredients: 25ml Mezcal 45ml Mandarin Ginger Cordial* 10ml Lemon 15ml Egg white *Make the Mandarin ginger cordial: Blend together 200ml Mandarin juice, 40g sugar, 1g Chilli powder, 1g Salt

Created by Cheryl Phang of Chez Chez (Penang), Velvet December is inspired by Penang. Mangosteen is in season, paired with white mulled wine. Instead of serving it hot, this is turned into a slushy to suit Penang's weather to bring a little chill into a tropical December. Ingredients: 45 ml Vodka 40 ml Mangosteen Juice 20 ml White Wine (dry) 5 ml Apple cinnamon syrup 5 ml Lemon juice (optional) Method: Blend all the ingredients with ice to make a slushy. Serve it in a wine gl

Created by Demitria Ramona of Hats Bar (Jakarta), Ngopi demonstrates her playful take on dessert-style cocktails. It plays with your senses when cold gelato meets a pour of hot, spiced alcoholic sauce. Ingredients: 15ml Christmas Spice Syrup* (Instructions below) 45ml Irish Whisky 30ml Espresso 1g Vanilla Pod Paste 60ml Hot water 1 scoop Vanilla Gelato Garnish: Cherry (Amarena or Maraschino) *How to make the Christmas Spice Syrup: 30g Cinnamon 2g Nutmeg 5g Cloves 10g Ginger 2

The Philippines is the home to some of the most diverse categories of alcoholic brew in Southeast Asia, partially due to the variety of cultures and people that inhabit the different islands of the country. Here, we can find rice wine typical of the region, known locally as tapuy (or tapuey ). Besides that, there is also basi,  a type of sugarcane wine . One can also explore a unique brew named agkud  here, a rice wine that is fermented alongside sugarcane juice and flavoured

This elegant cocktail from KK of Frank's Bar in KL, utilizes the specs of a gimlet, but swaps gin for pisco, and lime for apple, a fruit which symbolizes peace, safety, and harmony during Chinese New Year. Ingredients: 30ml Pisco  5ml Fernet Branca  40ml Granny Smith Cordial * Kefir Lime leaf (garnish) Make the Granny Smith Cordial: Juice Granny Smith apples to yield 500ml juice, let it sit until oxidation causes separation, then coffee-filter for clarity. Add 100ml simple sy

What better way to celebrate Chinese New Year than gifting (and eating) pineapple tarts? And if you're in the mood for a liquid version, Adrian Foo of The Suckling Pig in Penang has made a whiskey sour with a pineapple tart inspiration. Ingredients 45ml Pineapple Whiskey * 5ml Apricot Liqueur 20ml Lemon juice 20ml Egg white *Make the Pineapple Whiskey: Combine 290g pineapple jam with 700ml of bourbon. Infuse overnight and mesh strain the liquid. Method Add all the ingredients

Oranges are important for those celebrating Chinese New Year, as they symbolize luck, wealth, and prosperity. This CNY-themed cocktail from Camille Tiongco (aka Elli) of No Entry Cocktail Club in Manila uses the fruit to create an easy-drinking highball-style drink. Ingredients 45ml Whisky 20ml Orange Juice 7.5ml Caramelized syrup* 60ml Soda water Sesame oil (garnish) *Make the Caramelized syrup: Heat the sugar and water until the sugar fully dissolves, then allow the mixture

If you love Nyonya desserts, Penang is the place to go. And if you're in the mood for some experimental cocktails, Kean of Nomad Bar has concocted his alcoholic take on the Pulut Tai Tai. Pre-Batch 150ml Sake 150ml White rum 50ml Pandan syrup* 100g Pandan kaya paste 1½ tspn Glutinous rice vinegar 100ml Coconut milk 7.5g Salt 0.4g Agar-agar *Pandan Syrup 10g Pandan knot 100ml Water 100g Caster sugar Heat the water and sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat

To celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, Kai of Quinary used the Year of the Horse as an inspiration: the drink is named after a famous horse called "Silent Witness" to symbolize power, success, and a free spirit. Ingredients 35ml Midori Melon 15ml Lime Juice 3 dashes Angostura Bitters 80ml Champagne or Prosecco Top up with Ginger Beer Method Add Midori Melon, lime juice and Angostura bitters into a tall glass and stir to mix. Add ice and top up with champagne/prosecco and

Niko of Between the Sips in Jakarta has taken the color red as the inspiration for his sophisticated cocktail that combines the fruitiness of apples, cherries, and blackcurrants with aromatic bitterness. Ingredi ents 40ml Whiskey+Baked apple * 15ml Sweet Vermouth+Raisin+ Cacao Nib ** 10ml Cherry Heering Liqueur 20ml Blackcurrant Juice 1 dash Aromatic Bitters 1 dash Cacao Bitters *Make the Whiskey+Baked apple: Slice 1 green apple thinly and bake 10 mins. Macerate in 1 bottle o