Jon is best known for putting Penrose — and Kuala Lumpur — on the cocktail map, thanks to his steadfast commitment to elevated classics (and never selling just bottles). Jon brought his Singapore-honed cocktail experience home to Kuala Lumpur when he opened Penrose in 2022. The bar quickly earned a place on Asia’s 50 Best Bars, cementing his role in pushing KL’s cocktail scene forward. His mission hasn’t slowed since. With the launch of Lavantha, Jon continues to introduce ne

Jason Julian of Soma Cocktail Bar shows us that the classic Negroni is a simple, full-bodied serve that remains a favourite among bartenders and barflies alike. It uses just three ingredients that can be swapped or adjusted, yet still delivers a spirit-forward profile with rich, bittersweet notes. This is a straightforward recipe that shows how balance and boldness can come from the most minimal of builds. Ingredients: Gin - 30ml Campari - 30ml Sweet (red) vermouth - 30ml Met

With a firm dislike of Fernet shots and a soft spot for cats, Amanda’s playful spirit hides the depth of her experience as a globetrotting veteran of the bar industry. Amanda’s bartending journey began in Malaysia, where her talent quickly set her apart before taking her across the world. She went on to hone her craft in Singapore, New York, London, and Hong Kong, building a global résumé shaped by some of the industry’s most dynamic cities. Now back in Kuala Lumpur, she’s ch

I don’t have exact statistics, but I’d say 6 out of 10 Flaming Lamborghini orders ended in some kind of mishap — either someone or something getting burned, or something getting broken. The most common accidents involved burning hair — especially women’s hair if they’d used a lot of hair products. I also saw several pairs of (fake?) eyelashes get scorched, many eyebrows, and in one case, a wig . One guest also seared their lips. I’d just served the drink to a group and while

You know the drill. A guy walks into a bar and orders a neat whiskey. His date asks for a lychee martini. The bartender nods, pours, and slides the drinks across the counter. No one says anything, but the choreography is familiar. Whisky is strong. Masculine. Serious. The martini? Sweet, floral, and, let us be honest, feminine. I have seen this play out hundreds of times. Once, a man ordered a frozen strawberry daiquiri, then immediately clarified, “It’s for my girlfriend.” S

Adrian’s cocktail is a fiery spectacle: Hot Buttered Absinthe, built on his own house-made chartreuse and finished using a dramatic flaming throw technique — where he pours blazing alcohol back and forth between two pots to create depth, texture, and theatre. Note: Despite its name, the cocktail doesn't actually use absinthe, as it's used to concoct the homemade Chartreuse in this recipe (so yes, technically, the drink should be called "Hot Buttered Chartreuse"). If you don't

Shen is a stalwart of the Penang cocktail scene, known for putting the island on the map when Backdoor Bodega earned a spot on Asia’s 50 Best Bars. His influence has only grown since. He remains a driving force in Penang, championing its distinctive owner-operated bar culture and creating platforms like Penang Cocktail Week to showcase the city’s talent. Shen’s steady leadership continues to shape Penang into one of the region’s most characterful cocktail destinations.

With a focus on technique-driven methods of creating cocktails, Rich's ethos at Workshop14 has always been about using all-local ingredients. Rich’s colourful journey from Ghana to Vietnam eventually brought him to Hanoi, where he founded Workshop14 — now one of the city’s most exciting bars. His cocktails are deeply technique-driven, blending local ingredients, regional spirits, and a flair for creative experimentation to deliver fresh, unexpected experiences in every glass.

Maria Escobia of Penrose picks the 20th Century as one of her go-to cocktails because of its beautiful balance of flavours, the floral notes from the gin, the bright citrus from the lemon juice, and the rich depth of cacao. " I personally like to substitute the Lillet blanc with bianco vermouth for a slightly different twist ," she says. Ingredients: Gin - 20ml Lemon juice - 15ml Bianco Vermouth - 10ml Cacao Liqueur - 25ml Method: Add the ingredients into a shaker with ice an

The British played a major role in shaping global alcohol consumption, spreading gin, whisky, and rum to the far reaches of their empire – especially in Asia. However, some drinks were not just introduced but invented or transformed by the East India Company (EIC), a powerful British trading corporation established in 1600 which controlled vast territories in India, China, and Southeast Asia until it was dissolved in 1874.  The gin & tonic, Pegu Club, and Singapore Sling are

Cocktails of Asia is a great primer for those who want to find out the origin stories behind many notable cocktail bars in Asia, as well as the people behind those bars.

"Yeah, I like whiskies. Hennessy is one of my favorite brands," said the guest to my colleague. Though taken aback, he later informed the guest that the brand was a cognac.

“It would be nice to have a Gin & Tonic to beat today’s heat .” Such a thought may have crossed the mind of a British navy officer going on a patrol in the Indian port in the 19th century. In fact, we could probably attribute the spread of gin around the world to the Royal British Navy, who were tasked with securing the British colonies around the world. But what is gin and how did it come about? 1500s – 1600s: Genever It is said that gin originated from a Dutch spirit named

Jason Yee's bar, Dear Hearts and Chilled Spirits, is more about fun drinks, but it’s his Japanese-style whiskey sour that hits different. He strips the drink back to its essentials. No egg white and no substitutes. The texture comes from technique rather than ingredients. Ingredients: Bourbon - 45ml Lemon juice - 20ml Simple syrup (2:1 ratio) - 10ml Angostura bitters - 2 dashes Saline (salt) solution - 2 drops Method: Put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake (i

Meet Nel, who loved cocktails — especially martinis — so much that she left the corporate world behind to focus on running the cosy bar above her styling studio. Nel is the founder and owner of Kravat in Phnom Penh, one of Cambodia’s rising names in the cocktail scene. Her path to bartending was anything but conventional — she began in the corporate world, working in a life insurance company before her passion for cocktails inspired a bold career shift. What started as a hobb

Meet the effervescent Ronnie, whose background in entertainment sparked a colourful journey into bartending — eventually leading him to found a string of standout cocktail bars across Bangkok. Ronnaporn (or 'Ronnie') is the charismatic founder of Mahaniyom in Bangkok. Before stepping behind the bar, he was in front of the camera as an actor in the entertainment industry. His journey took a turn when a growing passion for cocktails led him to enter — and win — his very first c

From trained engineer to experimental bartender, Abhishek's rollercoaster journey into the cocktail world is nothing short of a series of entrepreneurial hustles. Abhishek is the gregarious force behind some of Singapore’s most beloved bars, including Sago House and The Spiffy Dapper. A serial entrepreneur with an unshakable drive, his path hasn’t been smooth — he’s weathered tough times, including going broke — but his perseverance and inventive spirit have kept him moving f

As a teen, Tamaryn wanted to be a tattoo artist, but an unexpected win at a bartending competition set her on a career path in the cocktail industry Tamaryn’s bartending journey began early in Thailand, where a strong showing at a cocktail competition sparked her passion for the craft. Alongside her love for mixology, she’s also drawn to the art of tattooing — a creative outlet that mirrors her expressive personality behind the bar. Since making her Netflix debut, Tamaryn’s s

One of the cocktail pioneers in the Southeast Asian region, Michael tells all about the Singapore scene, the sacrifice, and his charismatic cocktail shaking style Meet Michael — a tour de force behind the bar whose story began in San Francisco and took root in Singapore back in 2011. As the founding head bartender of 28 Hong Kong Street, he helped propel it onto the World’s 50 Best Bars list and, in doing so, put Singapore firmly on the global cocktail map. Now, more than a d

Every bar visit is a chance to learn something new, and to walk away not just with a great drink, but with a story worth telling.