Winner: Dry Wave Cocktail Studio

While Cherry Olive Cocktail Club is on everyone’s mind, Dry Wave Cocktail Studio is still bringing in the awards and the headlines. An update from the classics, the cocktails on offer this year feature 17 cocktails in total, including 13 new cocktails to try and four popular classics from the original series. Launching in February of this year, the new menu features the elegant likes of the Newton’s Law (named for the apple, not the physicist) with a nutty profile inspired by the Apple Gimlet and The Bright Side inspired by a cosmo and a white negroni with a dollop of watermelon and lychee sorbet. 

Vesper

Under the leadership of Tom Hearn, Vesper boasts a decade as one of Bangkok’s premier cocktail spots. But they haven’t just rested on their laurels. Their latest menu, Britain Through Seasons replaces their previously quite popular People of Vesper, which has been quite a departure. Split into Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, the new cocktails range from the likes of a spirit forward Beesting with Mitchers rye and cognac with the flavors of honey and absinthe to the sweet, cinnamony Baked Apple mixing Talisker with Jonnie Walker Black, topped with a bruleed custard. 

Bar Us

It’s not just the venue and the vibes that make Bar Us the city’s top bar. It’s what’s in the glass. No shortage of spaces opt for mixing the classic with the modern, but Bar Us is singularly unique in their methods for chasing complex flavors with familiar drinks. Take the Caramelized Onion Whisky Sour; caramelized sliced onion is mixed with unsalted butter whiskey and lime for a savory drink that hits all the flavor notes. And, don’t forget, this is a drinking room, so peruse the menu carefully for your starter, main, after, and all-night drinks. 

Opium Bar

No stranger to the top spot at BAD, Potong’s upstairs bar is one of the coolest spots in the city. Take the (very tiny) elevator up for one of the city’s top cocktail spaces. While the Thai-Chinese fare downstairs comes from the mind of one of this city’s top celebrity chefs, the mind behind this space’s success is the work of Matteo Cadeddu. The long running theme here is “liquid surreality”, and it delivers. From the wildly complex (and Instagram friendly) Drinking in Color to the Fifth Moon’s mixing of cognac with lotus flower, this menu still hits hard with the hi-so nightlife crowd. 

Rabbit Hole

An OG on the Bangkok cocktail scene, Rabbit Hole might best be known as the high-end cocktail bar that is actually, you know, fun. But don’t count out the drinks at this dimly lit space, because they are complex, wild, and decadent. Split into four sections — Surface, Descent, Reflection, and Ascension — each “Act” features four signature drinks designed for you to build your own story through the evening. For our recommendation, go from Laughter to Regret and then Anger (or Fear if you’re with a tourist or just like eating bugs). Top it off with a little Relief.