Tasting a dish in a drink, Bangkok style

Thai bartenders raise a toast to hyperlocal flair, reimagine food as drinks and get obsessive about the perfect flavour

- Pooja Prabbhan Srijith

In new-age Bangkok bars, prepare for some cocktail sorcery. The Dry Wave Cocktail Studio serves two classic drinks in one glass. Named 1806-1988, they combine Old Fashioned and Cosmopolitan. There are several such libations, and a good drinking game would be to guess which cocktails go into one glass.

Thai bartenders don't shy away from experimentation. At Mahaniyom, headed by bartender Ronnaporn "Neung" Kanivichaporn, each drink on the menu is named after an ingredient around which the flavours are built. For example, Duck is an eggnog-style drink with duck fat-washed Scotch, duck blood hoisin liqueur and duck egg mixed with tequila, brandy, honey, lychee and topped with passion fruit gel. The ingredients boggle the mind, but the flavours hit the spot.

Bangkok was once famous as an ideal budget-friendly travel destination. While pad thai, chicken-rice and ubiquitous Thai curries kept foodies satiated, curious drinkers would seek out the quintessential inexpensive Thai beers, like Singha and Chang, or bring home the Thai brandy Regency and the good old rum Sang Som. Cut to 2024, the city's drinking scene is driven by homegrown bars, impeccable service and gourmet cocktails accented with regional flavours-from sticky rice to pandan and squid. They have evolved to become a dynamic blend of culinary pride and innovation. After all, Bangkok is a global dining destination and tourists desire to discover local flavours; be it food or drinks.