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