5 cocktails that celebrate Malaysian flavours

Have you ever tried an onde-onde cocktail or one inspired by laksa?

Merdeka is just around the corner next week on August 31, 2023. In light of the upcoming festivities, we’ve taken the liberty to find cocktails that use local produce, from tuak and pandan to coconut and banana, to create cocktails in conjunction with the celebrations.

While restaurants often use homegrown ingredients in dishes, it has become increasingly common to find cocktails that incorporate nostalgic flavours. Usher in the country’s 66th year of independence with these five creative tipples.

Ignis’ Onde-Onde

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To celebrate Merdeka, Ignis presents the Onde-Onde, a rum-based cocktail inspired by the eponymous kuih. The drink is sweet and earthy with pandan, malibu, white rum, and coconut.

Ignis, The Sphere, No. 1, Avenue 1, Bangsar South City, 8, Jalan Kerinchi, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, +6012 343 9566

Penrose KL’s Rum Musa

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Using whole musa (banana plant) from skin to stem, Penrose KL’s Rum Musa is a spin on the banana daiquiri. Banana distillate is combined with rum to create a fruity, rich drink.

Penrose KL, 149, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, @penrose.kl

Here & Now’s Trust Issue

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Trust Issue is this writer’s cocktail of choice at Here & Now—and for good reason. A Malaysian take on the Pinã Colada is made with tuak, passionfruit, and clarified coconut milk.

Here & Now, E-3-02, Aras 3, Block E, The Five @ KPD, Kompleks Pejabat Damansara, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, +6012 417 1753

Bar Trigona’s Laksalicious

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Bar Trigona’s current menu is divided into four regions—Sabah, Sarawak, Peninsula, and Islands, taking inspiration from the diversity of local ingredients in each district. Inspired by the beloved Penang noodle dish, the Laksalicious cocktail at Bar Trigona is an interesting spin on a Negroni, made with firewater bitters, Cognac, sweet vermouth, and laksa.

Bar Trigona, 145, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, +603 2382 8670

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PS150’s Rumble in the Jungle

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PS150’s Rumble In The Jungle cocktail is the bar’s personal take on the Jungle Bird, paying homage to local flavours through a concoction made with coconut and pandan-infused rum, pineapple juice, and gula Melaka.

PS150, 150, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, +603 7622 8777

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Topics

Cocktails Local Ingredients Merdeka 2023