Shaken, not overlooked

How did Bangkok become Asia's hottest cocktail capital in just six years?

- BY DAWSON TAN

For years, Bangkok watched Singapore and Tokyo collect accolades on the World's 50 Best Bars list while they remained conspicuously absent.

In 2019, while respected regionally, not a single Bangkok establishment made that hallowed roster. But by 2025, two bars — Bar Us and BKK Social Club — sit comfortably among the world's elite, with Dry Wave Cocktail Studio and Opium filling out the extended list. It's the sort of transformation that doesn't happen by accident, and it certainly didn't.

Behind Bangkok's meteoric rise sits an unlikely partnership between Thai cocktail veteran Niks Anuman and Singaporean concept king Colin Chia, whose Bangkok Bar Show has exemplified how a city builds and broadcasts its drinking culture.

The numbers are frankly remarkable. Six years ago, Bangkok had five bars scattered across Asia’s 50 Best list — Vesper, Bamboo Bar, Smalls, Rabbit Hole, and the now-defunct Backstage Cocktail Bar —respectable enough, but hardly threatening the regional hierarchy. “In 2019, 95% of Bangkok's nightlife was driven by bottle service; think clubs, whisky sodas, the usual,” Colin recalls. “Yes, there were already brilliant cocktail bars at the time, such as Teens of Thailand, Vesper, and Find The Locker Room. But someone needed to stand up and talk about cocktails properly.”

Their solution wasn’t revolutionary: create a platform where consumers could learn, bartenders could connect, and brands could invest meaningfully. A platform that is without ego in an industry prone to self-importance. This ultimately became its defining characteristic when set against the now-dormant Singapore Cocktail Festival or Tokyo's established bar shows.