The Southeast Asian cocktail scene did not simply bounce back after COVID-19. It went through a distinct cycle: 2020–21 was about survival, 2022 became the great opening boom, and the following years saw more cocktail bars expand throughout more cities and countries. Cambodia and Thailand were among the earliest movers to remove restrictions in late 2021, followed by the Philippines (Feb), Vietnam (Mar), Singapore (Apr), Malaysia (Apr), and Indonesia (Apr) in the first half o