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The Cocktail Club in Jakarta picked up the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award during Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023. In conversation with its charismatic bartenders, we find out what makes the drinks offering at this lively Indonesian venue so special
Since The Cocktail Club debuted on the Asia's 50 Best Bars list in 2022, it has gained international recognition and praise – but it has also worked hard to maintain its essence as an approachable venue serving stellar drinks to anyone, from well-travelled cocktail experts to the newest generations of mixology fans in its home city of Jakarta. Nowhere is this more obvious than in its menu, A Guide to Good Drinking.
“When we started The Cocktail Club, we wanted to put a spotlight on cocktails so that more people could appreciate their art,” says Beverage R&D Specialist Mirwansyah ‘Bule’. “Here, every drink has a story and each one was born out of the creativity and the effort of its respective mixologist.”
The cocktail menu’s cover is inspired by the design of the bar’s windows
A Guide to Good Drinking is more than a traditional cocktail menu: it is also a helpful guide for customers, an accessible introduction to the bar for first-timers and a source of useful information for those who want to dive deeper into the drinks’ flavour profiles. It also showcases the distinctive personalities of each of the bartenders who contributed to its creation and features local ingredients, original techniques and unique combinations – all elements that played a crucial part in it being recognised with the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award 2023.
“We are very happy and proud to receive the award,” says Kiki Moka, founder and head mixologist at The Cocktail Club. “For us, it’s not just about appreciation and recognition, it’s also a responsibility to keep maintaining our quality.”
Created by a team of three experienced bartenders – Moka, Bule and Erikson Batubara – the award-winning menu features signature creations from each, as well as a comprehensive list of classics. One of its defining features is the hand-drawn sketches that accompany the drinks, complemented by illustrations that convey their core flavours – such as fruity, umami, sour or creamy – and a final chart that places every drink across two axes going from strong to mild and sweet to bitter. The aim is to help patrons make intuitive flavour-based decisions.
Explore The Cocktail Club in the video:
The rock'n'roll spirit of Moka is the first stop on this one-of-a-kind drinks list. Moka, who is also often seen at the bar playing local tunes or balancing a tray of tequila shots, combines coffee with gingerbread in the Caffè Cynar and puts a twist on a Bloody Mary by adding mango, peach and passion fruit in his Marry Me Lolita. His other creations include the Fernet Colada, Miso Miss You and Batavia Milk, forming the first selection of signature drinks.
Music also plays a key role in the menu. “We made sections for each of our bartenders where they get to handpick song lyrics to add a personal touch,” explains Ronny Holicka, assistant manager at The Cocktail Club. Alkohol by Indonesian band Sisitipsi is the bar’s anthem and its festive lyrics – including ‘Alkohol / Kamu jahat tapi enak’ (‘Alcohol / You are bad but delicious’) – are often sung along by bartenders and guests alike, so it is helpful that they are also included on the menu itself.
EH High is a floral signature drink ideated by Mirwansyah ‘Bule'
A second section of signature cocktails, this time concocted by Bule, follows: his drinks feature not only floral and herby tones, but also sweet, fruity and sour flavours. He utilises ingredients such as roasted mushrooms, Parmesan-infused gin, fortified marshmallows and salted cherries to help create original and delicious libations such as Mushroom, Clever Club, Sopi Susu and Apurikotto.
The final section introduces the drinker to the cocktails signed by Batubara, who focuses his craft on powerful drinks with a higher level of spirits. The menu helpfully shows this to patrons by using a scale of one to five ‘punch’ glasses, with most of Batubara's creations rating at the upper end.
Here guests can discover the Cha Guavara, made with guava redistilled vodka, Thai tea liqueur and tobacco bitters; the 24K, featuring scotch whisky redistilled with andaliman (a pepper with a citrussy flavour and numbing sensation); and Pulut, which sees vodka mixed with bourbon and fermented red rice.
Cha Guavara is the top-selling drink at The Cocktail Club
Since receiving the coveted accolade, The Cocktail Club has launched a second edition of its menu, though keeping much of the structure and style. The Fine Guide to Good Drinking features new bartenders, such as Erick Opung, Fransiska Putri, Ronny Holicka, Jery Satriama and Agus Bebe, who contribute with the addition of colourful combinations, such as the Khana, Mango Lassi, Cincau La Soy and Carillo.
Keeping a creative outlook, prioritising the guest experience and presenting its cocktail ideology in an accessible format are the keys to The Cocktail Club’s menus standing above others across the Asian continent. As Moka concludes: “People can enjoy The Cocktail Club not just with their taste buds, but with their eyes and their ears too. So we wanted to make sure that even the menu is part of that experience.”
The list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023, sponsored by Perrier, was announced on Tuesday, 18th July at a live awards ceremony at Rosewood Hong Kong. To stay up to date with all news and announcements, browse the website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
