Towards the end of last month, if you were lucky enough to grab a ticket to the Tatler Off Menu event at ICONSIAM, you would have caught Pernod Ricard’s pop-up bar, Le Cercle—a showcase of the brand’s finest labels and also a brand name that is steeped in the history of exclusive high-society membership clubs and lively social gatherings. 

The word “Le Cercle” originally comes from secretive, invitation-only policy forms in Europe or, depending on who you ask, intelligence communities in the United States. Despite the word’s suit-wearing spy roots, Le Cercle by Pernod Ricard is less conspiracy theory and more friendly social gathering with a tinge of exclusivity.

For Pernod Ricard, the Le Cercle brand represents a movement to provide exclusive members access to the world’s best Champagnes, cocktails, and alcohols. This mainly comes in the form of a membership-only website where customers can make priority orders for the best products before they go on shelves — available in countries like Australia, France, Vietnam, and a handful of other locations. 

Since delivery-based alcohol websites are a no-go in Thailand, the concept of Le Cercle makes a lot of sense. At ICONSIAM the pop-up was part of a larger gathering that showcased booths from some of Pernod Ricard’s other key brands, G.H. Mumm and The Deacon. 

Specifically, the event highlighted the concept of conviviality — the quality of being friendly and energetic — which ties into Pernod Ricard’s ethos of creating strong, friendly and lively connections through events and other social touchpoints. Part of that is about making friends with people like bartenders and mixologists, who can bring the lively and entertaining atmosphere. And who says that the concept of “fineness” in something like fine-dining needs to be limited to food? Not Pernod Ricard, who aims to break down the traditional barriers between many alcohols and fine foods — a crown largely held by wines for hundreds of years but is being invaded by the worlds of cocktails and other drinks. 

Le Cercle Bar 

The centerpiece at the ICONSIAM event was obviously the rarely seen Le Cercle Bar pop-up, led by bartenders Dicky Hortono (Firefly at Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel) and flair bartending specialist Dodoh Pattawee (Revolucion Cocktail Bar). The pop-up showcased a bevy of cocktails inspired from around the world, some signature to the event and others staples of the bartenders and venues where they are from. Both brought their A-game with a bit of Latin, Asian and tropical flavor profiles. 

Dodoh, who was his typical, flashy self during most of the evening, focused on fruity, fizzy, and tart flavors. First was the “Taste Me Fizz Me” that mixed Codigo blanco tequila with a dash passion fruit & ginger cordial, grapefruit bitters, Thai basil, lime, and soda for a fun take on a tequila fizz. One of the more popular drinks was the refreshing Yuzuri with Kyoto’s Ki No Bi Sei gin, Krachai yuzu cordial lemon and tonic for a very Japanese feeling G&T—great for those hot late-March days. Last was the Jack Fruit Aloha, which combined just two ingredients: Absolut Elyx Vodka and tropical jackfruit. 

Firefly’s Dicky Hortono, also leaned on tropical, fruity notes leaning on the Mexican cocktail playbook at Siam Kempinski’s flagship cocktail bar. People who frequent Firefly will be familiar with the signature “Mexican Firefly” and its vegetal, refreshing notes (Codigo tequila blanco, grapefruit, beetroot, lime, agave, and pasley). The other on the docket was the fruity and refreshing “Guava Gimlet” (Ki No Tea Kyoto Gin, guava cordial, and citrus). 

For more information, visit pernod-ricard.com.

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