It's time to embark on a Bangkok's Bar Bonanza!

No longer an afterthought in any discussion on the best cocktails in Asia, Thailand's vibrant capital city Bangkok has been increasingly making waves for its up-and-coming craft cocktail bars. In fact, four homegrown bars recently ranked on the 2023 list of Asia's 50 Best Bars, with one among them even ranking at a coveted 3rd place! 

If you're in Bangkok and planning a night out, here are the four award-winning bars that you should hit up for tasty cocktails, immersive vibes, and wonderful hospitality! 

BKK Social Club

For glitz, glamour and good times, look no further than the award-winning BKK Social Club at the Four Seasons at Chao Phraya River. Voted the Best Bar in Bangkok 2023, this decadent bar is set in a garden-like compound with semi-outdoor terraces where guests can even enjoy a cigar or two. The cocktails draw inspiration from the old-time glamor of 1970s and 80s Buenos Aires. Fan favourites include the Evita (rum, Italian bitters, citrus, bay leaf and cinnamon), named after the Argentine politician and activist, and the Careterra (a blend of mezcal, coffee vermouth, pineapple Campari and olives) - one of a trio of Negronis available to order at BKK Social Club!

Where to find them:

Tropic City

Tropic City is the cool yet unpretentious kid of the local Bangkok bar scene. As Thailand's first tropical cocktail bar, Tropic City is a neon-lit oasis within the Charoenkrung neighbourhood, with a focus on rum-forward libations. If you're in the mood to dance the night away with friends, come to this neighbourhood cocktail bar for its footloose and fancy-free vibes and stay for their delicious signature cocktails like Trippic Thunder and So Fresh, So Clean. 

Where to find them:

Vesper

European-inspired Vesper is serious about cocktails. This Bangkok bar, accented by leather furnishings and forest green counters, has continued to evolve under new bar manager and British transplant Tom Hearn after building his career at the American Bar at The Savoy and other lauded London establishments. Hearn’s first menu in Asia, People of Vesper, honours the roster of guests who have frequented the bar in the years prior to his arrival, touching on classic cocktails and new creations as it goes. Where the Miami Vice Vesper offers a playful version of the classic featuring strawberry dry vermouth, the Turmeric Old Fashioned supercharges the timeless drink with smoked vermouth, cognac and coffee liqueur for the ultimate nightcap.

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Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar

Mahaniyom is a relatively new craft cocktail bar opened in 2022, yet despite it's young age, the bar has been making waves - even winning the Lodnon Essence Best New Opening Award and ranking 22nd in the list of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2023. Named after a playful riff on the Thai proverb ‘two tigers cannot share the same cave’, Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar was started by industry veterans Ronnaporn "Neung" Kanivichaporn and Chennarong “Jan” Bhumichitr. You'll know you're in the right sport when you see a neon two-headed tiger on arrival - a symbol of both the owners' creative bartending styles coming together in one place.

Mahaniyom's current drinks menu features imaginative cocktails that blends unique and interesting ingredients in delicious ways. Cocktails to look out for include the Cow: a mix of brandy and red wine alongside brown butter, beef fat, clarified milk and blue cheese air; as well as the Orange cocktail - which blends gin and vodka with orange vermouth, orange hydrosol and orange peel chips.

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