Where to have great drinks in Bangkok
Iron Balls Distillery
Ash Sutton, the genius behind bars including Iron Fairies and Maggie Choo’s, outdid himself with this hideaway’s stripped-down, brooding aesthetic and succinct Prohibition-era cocktail list. A gleaming copper distillery serves as the centrepiece and produces the place’s namesake elixir, a south-east Asian spin on gin, fermented with a heady mix of fresh pineapple, coconut, lemongrass, ginger and juniper.
• Park Lane, Sukhumvit 63, on Facebook
SoulBar
Follow the sounds of soul and funk four nights a week to one of Bangkok’s best live music spots. The lack of a cover charge and the rollicking house party vibe help explain why the crowds keep coming, even when the tiny joint is past capacity. Bigger bands often see the party spill out onto the street, which doesn’t seem to bother anybody one bit.
• 945 Charoen Krung road, on Facebook
Rabbit Hole
Slide open an unmarked wooden door in Thonglor and step into this dimly lit drinking den housed in a three-story shophouse. A long marble bar and gleaming, ceiling-high shelves displaying a formidable liquor collection make this one of the sexiest speakeasies in town, while the craft cocktails by legendary local mixologists Suwincha “Chacha” Singsuwan and Naphat “Yod” Natchachon mean the narrow space is packed on weekends.
• 125 Sukhumvit Soi 55, +66 98 969 1335, on Facebook
72 Courtyard
Drop whatever preconceptions the term “lifestyle mall” calls to mind, because this industrial complex buried in Thonglor houses some of Bangkok’s best bars and eateries. A crawl should start with a craft brew and greasy grub like laab fries at Beer Belly, then go for something stiffer at Evil Man Blues, a lounge with tipples such at salad days, a riff on a negroni infused with sous-vide cherry tomatoes, and live jazz Wednesday through Saturday. Touché Hombre has the best selection of mezcals and tequilas in the city, not to mention authentic bites like elotes callejeros (grilled corn with cotija cheese, chipotle-spiked mayonnaise and lime). Finish your night with a trip to Beam, a warehouse-style club where techno pounds till late.
• 72 Soi Sukhumvit 55, on Facebook
Teens of Thailand
A G&T here might well carry a lingering, savoury aroma of peppered pork jerky or Thai tea. Housed in an 80-year-old shophouse, cluttered with vintage Thai furniture, this watering hole has earned a cult following for its gin infusions made from whatever the owners find from neighbouring Chinatown stores. On a weekend, be prepared to queue for one of the coveted 16 seats.
• 76 Soi Nana, Charoen Krung road, on Facebook
Sing Sing Theater
An opium-den fever dream of paper lanterns, Chinese dragons and slinky qipao-clad ladies, Sing Sing Theater’s retro-glam, over-the-top vision of 1930s Shanghai packs the dance floor on weekends.
• Sukhumvit Soi 45, on Facebook