Southeast Asia's craft cocktail scene did not spring fully formed after the pandemic years. It was seeded, nurtured, and shaped by a generation of bartenders and bar owners – both local and expatriate – who were doing the work long before the region was on anyone's radar. To understand where the scene is now, you have to understand where it came from. And to do that, we need to go back even further... to the era before craft cocktails existed here at all. Before Craft: Hotel

Taln of Bar Us and Messenger Service in Bangkok recalls the moment she realized that the value of a cocktail isn't just about what's in the glass – it's also about the vibe and design of the space it's consumed in. She explains how their first bar complaint at a hostel they ran became the catalyst for their first award-winning bar: Messenger Service. Taking what they've learned, they then opened Bar Us. With a background in product design – she and partner Aum, who's also a d

Palm is known not just for his generosity towards his team, but also for his unapologetic love of his corgi — two things that say a lot about the kind of bar owner he is. Palm is one of Bangkok’s cocktail OGs, now running the award-winning Dry Wave Cocktail Studio after a long, influential career in the bar and spirits industry. Beyond the drinks, it’s his bubbly personality that defines the experience — the kind of hospitality where you walk in as a customer and leave as a f

A no-nonsense industry vanguard, Niks champions fair employment standards — and has zero tolerance for dirty bar toilets. Niks is one of Bangkok’s true originals — the driving force behind transforming Chinatown’s Soi Nana into one of the city’s most vibrant cocktail-hopping districts. Long before it became fashionable, he was shaping the area’s identity bar by bar, helping redefine how Bangkok drinks. His influence reached a global audience after being featured on Netflix’s

With an interesting tattoo history and an even wilder love for his dog Lola, Pae has racked up more than a decade behind the bar — all while somehow looking like he’s barely old enough to drink. Pae is the face of Funkytown, bringing his signature energy and talent to Bangkok’s cocktail scene. His journey has taken him from Shanghai to Tokyo and now back home, but bartending wasn’t always the plan — he once set his sights on becoming a chef and even studied in Melbourne for i

Patty loves her cocktails, and she knows her limits, which is why bartenders who are familiar with this bubbly barfly would never give her straight shots. Patty is one of Bangkok’s most beloved barflies — the kind whose smile gets her recognized in cocktail bars across the city and beyond. While rumors swirl about her owning some mysterious bar, she’s quick to set the record straight: she runs a bakery, not a bar. Still, her genuine love for great drinks and the people who ma

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

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