Four Seasons KL's Bar Trigona Should Be Your Next Cocktail Hangout Spot

Words by Tien Chew

August 23, 2018

With one of the city's most anticipated luxury hotels already opened for business comes a bar that champions using expert cocktail know-how and locally sourced ingredients to create a memorable drinking experience.

Above Photo: Khairul Imran/Malaysia Tatler

Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur’s new bar continues to build on the nature theme the establishment is well known for embracing. Named Bar Trigona, a reference to the trigona bee, this cocktail spot features a swanky interior, an elegant vibe and a great menu.

Guests will be able to find reinterpretations of cocktails they know and love, along with new creations that aren’t only inventively delicious but also light, fresh and fun.

Above Photo: Khairul Imran/Malaysia Tatler

Experienced mixologist Ashish Sharma, who brings with him experience tending at award-winning bars at India and Singapore, helms the bar. Under his guidance, we taste five drinks that tell us what Trigona is all about.

Above Photo: Khairul Imran/Malaysia Tatler

Nectar

A twist on the classic daiquiri, homemade jasmine, torched ginger flower syrup, white vermouth and fresh lime juice is used to create a refreshing, tart and light cocktail. Easy to sip and cool, the jasmine and ginger tastes are subtle but the taste of lime is very prominent, making for a great tart starter.

Above Photo: Khairul Imran/Malaysia Tatler

Verte

Vodka, absinthe, fresh lime juice, vermouth and a dash of sparkling water makes for yet another refreshing, cool and sour cocktail. Susprisingly elegant despite its alcohol background, drinkers will be able to taste a slight hint of the absinthe while the lime juice helps to soften the blow. It comes garnished with fennel that adds a fresh green aroma to the mix.

Above Photo: Khairul Imran/Malaysia Tatler

Bitter & Smoke

Arguably one of the bar’s most recognisable cocktails on social media, bitter and smoke has a nice spirit forward taste, with a decent lemon twist to accentuate the drink. The honeycomb mixed in with the vessel of the drink it comes served with gives the drink a light caramel ginseng tinge, as it’s smoked with ginseng beforehand. If you want something with an elegant profile that’s also deliciously balanced, this drink is for you. Each vessel contains three pours and this drink can be purchased either by glass or the entire vessel.

Above Photo: Khairul Imran/Malaysia Tatler

Trigona old fashioned

Light on the palate, the old fashioned receives a honey twist with the addition of a small honeycomb served at the end of a licorice. Stir the honey cube in with your drink before drinking and allow it to soak up the drink before you eat it once you’ve finished the cocktail. As for the taste, is has a nice mellow rye aftertaste at the end, with a slight syrupy honey that takes its time to influence the drink. Flavours get bolder towards the end, with a delicious honey cube waiting to deliver one last hurrah.

Above Photo: Khairul Imran/Malaysia Tatler

Bolio

The only warm cocktail we tried, bolio is fruity with a hefty cinnamon aroma and strong presence of juniper berries that’s rounded out with rose apple cider. The drink has comforting taste that’s great for warming you up, with a lingering spicy feel thanks to the ginger and fruity compositions. Almost like an alcoholic liquid dessert, the drink also comes served with local figs to further sweeten the deal.