This city is one of the ‘world’s most dynamic bar scenes’

During a lovely end of year round up chat with Boothby editor-in-chief Sam Bygrave I had the chance to reflect on my 2024, and an absolute highlight was getting to spend some time in Bangkok – I’ve been to Thailand a few times but really just transited through its capital city and boy have I been missing out, especially when it comes to the bar scene. I haven’t had a chance to write about it yet, so buckle in. 

Bangkok is the kind of city where turning every corner is an adventure, chaotic in the best possible way. Perhaps this is why speakeasy bars work so well there: in a hectic and humid city, they are secret havens to take a load off and refresh yourself. We’ve all seen enough speakeasies with ‘speakeasy’ signs out front to wonder if the whole concept should be retired, but in Bangkok they take the hidden part seriously. As I walked down a street, a whole wall of ATMs shifted to reveal a bar behind; another time, as we wandered around on a street food degustation, I saw a vending machine move slightly out of the corner of my eye so I went and pushed it – another bar. It started to feel like I was in an episode of ‘Is It Cake?’, except for watering holes.

Bangkok has bars hidden behind walls of stickered school lockers, murals, photo booths and unmarked doors beside the pool of five star hotels. And the drinks are really good. At Find the Locker Room, their Time Capsule menu transports you through decades of pop culture – my Pokemon ball-inspired I Choose You! came split down the middle with beetroot and yuzu foam, while Angst Of A Generation was a booze forward banger replete with prop durry (as Oasis said, all I need are cigarettes and alcohol); a perfect example of well-executed kitsch. At hotel bar 008 the drinks were more classic, matching the jazz lounge vibes, but with interesting flavour combinations; my MSG and mushroom-spiked Martini was bang on point. 

From chatting to bartenders, it seems the Thai bar scene suffered more than most during Covid with little to no government support despite the high tax revenue the industry generates –  in fact, there are much tighter regulations on the alcohol industry there than the average beer-swilling, cocktail-bucket-drinking Aussie tourist might realise. So, with tongue firmly in cheek, came TAX bar from the crew behind the acclaimed Teens of Thailand. Find the mural that says ‘nothing is certain but death and tax’ and head up the stairs where the menu is built entirely around teas and vinegars made in house from leftover alcohol, which do not attract taxes: a small act of protest. Miso, a concoction of aged rum, caramel miso shrub and kimchi powder was earthy and umami-driven, but still juicy and more-ish, a really skilfully balanced drink. Hops combined mango gin, a hops shrub, lager vinegar and honey for an effervescent and amazingly complex refresher. I love it when a political statement is delicious – usually I’m a champagne socialist but they turned me into a cocktail libertarian.

This single ingredient approach to drinks is perhaps most associated with Mahaniyom, where startender Ronnaporn ‘Neung’ Kanivichaporn’s creativity can be seen in full swing. As at TAX, each drink is named for a single ingredient which has multiple techniques applied to it to extract the full essence of its flavour. While there is some low hanging fruit – pardon the pun – like Pomelo or Pineapple (although even these are skilfully elevated), there are left of centre flavours like Squid (a clarified Bloody Mary-esque drink with a float of squid ink sake for a striking two tone effect) or Cow (which uses fat washing and miso for a texturally rich but surprisingly light delight). 

Ronnaporn’s skill is in taking challenging flavours and making them just straight tasty – they’re not weird for weirdness’ sake. I got to see this in full flow at a menu launch at another of his projects, Nuss Bar. Probably my favourite drink of the trip was the Som-Tam Fizz, inspired by the ubiquitous Thai dish, with fish sauce adding depth to the fruity spritz. But, I like papaya salad; what is perhaps more impressive is that I would have ordered another Tu-rian Colada, a cocktail revolving around the durian, a fruit that my Scottish taste buds have never previously been able to get on board with. Hats off, Nuss.

While we’re lucky to have such an amazing standard of hospitality in Australia, nothing gets you excited about the industry again more than seeing how others do it. Don’t get me wrong, I still drank my fair share of beer that tastes like water, mango Daiquiris and passion fruit Mojitos on the beach, but next time you’re heading to Koh whatever for some R&R, make sure you take time in Bangkok to check out one of the world’s most dynamic bar scenes. 

Around the Bars

• I recently went to the launch of a collaboration project from Kakadu Kitchen and Oz Harvest, Conscious Drink. It is a large format, non-alcoholic spritz made from blueberries that would have gone to landfill bolstered by native botanicals like lemongrass, pepperberry and saltbush, and it is absolutely delicious. Proceeds go to help Oz Harvest feed those who need it, and every case sold enables the planting of edible native seedlings in the Northern Territory – all in all, it is very wholesome and an awesome alternative to take to parties this festive season.
• We’re hosting a little hospo Orphans’ Christmas at Goodwater on Sunday 22nd December – $25 gets you a plate (there’s talk of deep fried turkey) and a Champagne Old Fashioned. We’d love to see you, just RSVP here so we know how many people to cater for.
• It happens to be my birthday today, so I’m off to drink Martinis at Gimlet – they have launched a bottled Martini in partnership with Never Never for the ultimate freezer door Martini experience. I don’t want to speak too soon but I reckon it’ll be pretty great: perhaps some gift inspo for your Martini drinking Aunt?