Cover Bar Trigona’s Petrichor cocktail (Photo: Bar Trigona)
Bar Trigona’s Petrichor cocktail (Photo: Bar Trigona)
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Have you ever tried a pandan cocktail or one infused with tempoyak?
Merdeka is just around the corner next week on August 31, 2024. 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 67th year of independence with these seven creative tipples.
Read more: An honourable legacy: The Balvenie Sixty pays tribute to iconic Malt Master David C. Stewart
Reka:Bar’s Dusun 2.0
Above Reka:Bar’s Dusun 2.0 with tempoyak, jackfruit soy milk, and tequila (Photo: Instagram / @reka.bar)
Reka:Bar’s Dusun 2.0 with tempoyak, jackfruit soy milk, and tequila (Photo: Instagram / @reka.bar)
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Known for championing sustainable mixology, it is no surprise that Reka:Bar showcases local culinary heritage in its creations. This tipple brings together tropical and savoury profiles with a blend of tequila, chilli padi distillate, tuak, tempoyak, and jackfruit soy milk.
67M, Jln Setia Bakti, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, +6010-287 8908
Penrose KL’s Rum Musa
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
See also: Wind down after a long day at these natural wine bars
Here & Now’s Trust Issue
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 Colour Me Curious Menu
Above Parakeet, a cocktail infused with salted cucumber and lime leaves (Photo: Bar Trigona)
Parakeet, a cocktail infused with salted cucumber and lime leaves (Photo: Bar Trigona)
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Inspired by both the hues and flavours of this region, Bar Trigona’s Colour Me Curious menu is a collection of cocktails that celebrates Malaysian flavours. Its most quintessentially Malaysian tipples are its Petrichor, a pandan infused cocktail paired with locally grown figs and its Parakeet, a blend of timun jeruk asam boi, lime leaves, and mezcal.
You’ll also find cocktails infused with roselle, stewed winter melon treacle, calamansi, and more.
Bar Trigona, 145, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, +603 2382 8670
Don't miss: Tenshin’s Kenichi Ishikawa on the art of tempura
Frank’s Bar’s Tea Collins
An ode to one of Malaysia’s favourite beverages, Frank’s Bar’s Tea Collins draws inspiration from iced tea. Using a blend of whisky, Lipton tea, elderflower, and soda this drink is both refreshing, floral, and tannin forward.
The bar is also offering other locally inspired cocktails, from a pepper-spiced whisky tipple to a drink that pays tribute to Hup Seng cream crackers with hazelnut, cold brew, and whisky.
Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur’s Liberty Jack-Fruity Cocktail
Showcasing one of the most locally beloved fruits is Imperial Lexis’ jackfruit infused cocktail. Featuring gin, jackfruit, spiced syrup, and pu’er tea, this tipple stands as a tribute to defining Malaysian flavours.
PS150’s Rumble in the Jungle
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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