Lai Po Heen at Mandarin Oriental Welcomes Chef Thomas Fong from Doha
April 24th, 2024
Weed out the bad cocktails from your nightlife and branch out into this budding new bar, rooted in a garden-to-glass perspective: Filled with foliage, BOTAK Liquor Bar cultivates a distinctively herbivore-approved approach to mixology, stemming from pure spirits and partially home-grown botanicals.
We headed here hoping to unearth a couple of flower-powered cocktails, but ended up ordering a bumper crop of nine potions – the selection is simply that intriguingly playful. BOTAK’s bartenders are gifted with green thumbs; these smooth tipples are easy on both the eyes and the palate, with pleasurably clean, harmoniously balanced profiles.
Some highlights, showcasing dual dominant components: Sweet Pea & Elderflower (RM48; unaged whiskey, sweet peas, organic elderflower cordial, lemon), Bunga Kantan & Pumpkin (RM36; pumpkin seed-infused vodka, calamansi, house-made red ginger lily soda), Rice & Pandan (RM34; gin, fragrant rice-flavoured coconut water, pandan oil), Violet & Dragonfruit (RM42; grappa, dragonfruit, violet liqueur, maraschino, lime), Starfruit & Daun Kari (RM36; pisco, organic starfruit, garden-harvested curry leaves, lemon), Fennel & Cucumber (RM38; fennel seeds-infused tequila blanco, cucumber-lemon-celery juice, Szechuan pepper aquafaba foam).
BOTAK replaces Ray, a bar that specialised in cocktails on tap. There are several fresh-tasting reconfigurations of those at BOTAK – Jasmine & Tarragon (RM38; gin, suze, house-made jasmine cordial, tarragon, lemon bitters, fizz), Papaya & Cuka (RM36; light rum, pesticide-free papayas, cili padi shrub, grated lemon zest, creole bitters), Nangka & Grapefruit (tequila blanco, grapefruit soda, house-made jackfruit liqueur, charcoal salt). Nice use of tropical fruits & other ingredients with local sensibilities.
Practical tip: BOTAK is the sister bar of Chocha Foodstore downstairs; food cannot be brought up from Chocha to BOTAK, but cocktails can be taken down from BOTAK to Chocha. So if you want both food and drinks, choose a table at Chocha & check out the Duck Rendang Hummus (RM32, a warm, comfort-food recipe with chickpeas, eggplant, liver mousse and turmeric leaves) and Sticky Duck (RM56; overnight-brined half duck with Szechuan peppers, black vinegar and mint salad).
Address: 156, Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur.
Hours: Sun, Tues-Wed, 3pm-11pm; Thurs-Sat, 5pm-1am.
Find: View directory for BOTAK Liquor Bar here.