The once-residential Thonglor is now firmly established as the no. 1 party spot in the city. Nightlife here comes with an upscale local flavor. Born-and-bred Bangkokians come to sip on cocktails and neck back craft brews before heading into the street’s various nightclubs that attract top international DJs. 

 

Why go: Thonglor's new gin bar is a hidden delight. Nestled down a small soi, this narrow shop-house draws you in with its enormous gin collection all lit up behind the bar. Here, Taiwanese PR officer-turned-bar owner Herman Wu splits his drinks into original cocktails and next-level gin-and-tonic creations for a crowd of casually dressed neighborhood residents and young professionals loosening their ties after work.

 

Drink this: The potent AO Show masks its strength under chamomile-infused Brooker's Gin, Carpano Bianco (sweet white vermouth made from wine using trebbiano, cortese and chardonnay grapes), Creme de Cacao Blanc and simple syrup, shaken with lemon juice. 

 

Why go: Downstairs sits one of Bangkok’s most exciting kitchens, where Texas-hailing chef Riley Sanders (whose resume features a stint at Chicago's now-closed L20) presents creative locavore flavors, while up above you’ll find a bar from some of the finest cocktail names in the city. Head bartender Naphat “Yod” Natchachon delivers a menu that complements the kitchen’s focus on local produce, amid an upscale ambience that channels old-school bistros. 

 

Drink this: Sooth Your Soul (B450) makes use of a rare Chiang Mai leaf called bai nium. Here they infuse the leaves with coffee beans in cognac, mix that with sweet vermouth then serve it with star anise smoke.

 

Why go: This Broadway-burlesque space on the lobby floor of the theater-themed Playhaus boutique hotel is run by six of Bangkok’s leading bartenders. Behind a red velvet curtain, you’ll find five sets of Louis XIV-style sofas facing a counter bar and a liquor shelf surrounded by backstage mirrors on which are written the drink of the day. 

 

Drink this: Earthbeet is a woody drink with a beetroot-infused tequila base mixed with sweet vermouth, Campari, Cynar (artichoke liqueur) and mezcal, garnished with a slice of beetroot and torched liquorice.

 

Why go: The guy behind Thonglor’s latest jazz lounge is Idris Dawud, a trumpet player from New York who has been living in Thailand for the past 15 years. He’s also the son of Talib Dawud, a trumpeter who played with Art Blakey and Thelonious Monk in the legendary The Jazz Messengers, while his step-mom is jazz singer Dakota Staton, best known for her 1957 hit “The Late, Late Show.” 

 

Drink this: Bangkokians usually partake in their live jazz sessions with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label at hand. Drink it on ice or with soda water. 

 

Why go: Thonglor's showpiece nightclub is truly world class, featuring Asia’s first "body kinetic" dance floor that shakes vibrations into dancers' feet. The style is minimal, raw, casual and loud. The lounge area, dubbed the Dalmatian Room, promises easy-going electronic beats and future hip-hop (think Flume, Disclosure, Jamie XX, James Blake), while the main room upstairs brings quality, energetic, deep house and techno tracks from live DJs. 

 

Drink this: Whatever’s your favorite tipple for a night of late-night partying.

1/F, 72 Courtyard, 72 Sukhumvit 55 (Thonglo), 02-392-7750. Open Wed-Sat 9pm-2am

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SUKHUMVIT

From the all-night party spots of Sukhumvit Soi 11 to the sky bars and cocktail spots of Phrom Phong, the stretch of Sukhumvit Road from sois 1-39 is expat party central. Whether you’re looking for an after-dinner tipple or to party till 2am, you’re bound to find a place that suits. 

 

Why go: Sukhumvit's latest rooftop bar sits pretty on the 26th floor of the new Novotel hotel, offering laidback garden vibes and views of both Sirikit Lake and Benjasiri Park. The fruity, though not-too-sweet, cocktails come courtesy of Portuguese bar manager Joao Dos Santos, who previously worked as head bartender at the Eastern Mangroves Hotel and Spa by Anantara in Abu Dhabi. 

 

Drink this: The apple and vanilla margarita offers a sweet refresher with a sharp kick of lemon juice to emphasize those margarita roots. 

 

Why go: Hidden inside a little alley, this speakeasy-style bar comes courtesy of the local cocktail specialists behind many of the best drink menus in town. It succeeds where many others fail to conjure the feeling of a secret drinking society, with the narrow space replicating a classic ‘20s railway carriage.

 

Drink this: Just tell the bartender your favorite classic—from a Pegu Club to a Boulevardier—or put your faith in the small, often-changing list of drinks arranged by flavor profile: sweet, bitter, savory, spicy and umami. 

 

                                 

Why go: This little beer bar has established itself as one of the top names for craft brews in the city. Beer aficionados drop by both for the rare bottles and casks, as well as the haunting atmosphere—with its giant, surgery-style lights and floor-to-ceiling raw concrete.  

 

Drink this: Ask the staff about the Tap of the Month (at the time of writing, Dutch brewery Brouwerij de Molen’s Vuur & Vlam IPA), or go with one of the regular names from the fridge like Heretic’s Evil Twin or Shallow Grave Porter.  

 

Why go: Going for a ‘40s-50s Havana high-life vibe, this hidden bar specializing in rum is Cuban pastiche done right: shuttered windows, spare lighting and crumbling walls spruced up with colorful tiles, murals and live Afro-Cuban music. Find the telephone booth labeled “Telefono” for the night’s unique access code.  Once inside you’ll find a late-night party crowd. 

 

Drink this: The Cuba Libre (Bacardi black, angostura bitters, cola and kaffir lime, B260) is served with chunky Coca-Cola ice cubes, while Between Two Sheets (Bacardi Black, Hennessy VS, Grand Marnier, lime, pomegranate grenadine, B300) comes in two mismatched cocktail glasses, one sweet and one sour, and requires you to rather daintily sip at both for the full effect.

Sukhumvit Soi 11, 061-450-3750. Open daily 6pm-2am. www.fb.com/havanasocialbkk

 

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SILOM-SATHORN

In Bangkok’s central business district, corporate skyscrapers rub shoulders with creative cocktail lounges. Straight off the skytrain at BTS Sala Daeng you’ll find the roudy old Patpong red light district, but head over to nearby Sathorn and you’ll discover one of the most upscale party scenes in the city. 

 

Why go: Vesper’s as much a high-end tapas bar as it is a cocktail lounge, making it just perfect for those pre-night-out stomach liners. The marble bar is helmed by an in-house team which includes some of the city’s most in-demand mixologists.

 

Drink this: Along with its huge, tome-like menu called the Art Book, in which each cocktail takes it inspiration from a different iconic painting, the bar also just launched a list of “modern classics”—drinks designed after the 1980s. Try the White Negroni, invented in Bordeaux in 2001, which includes gin, Carpano Bianco Vermouth, and Luxardo Italian herbal bitters. 

 

Why go: The glam rooftop bar at MahaNakhon does one of the best happy hour deals in town, when they offer buy-one-get-one-free on all standard drinks right through till 9pm every day. The space doesn’t just have drink deals and chic, ‘20s-meets-modern decor going for it, either. The kitchen does a super-tasty line of fancy burgers—get the teriyaki burger with wasabi mayo.

 

Drink this: The sharing decanters of gin and tonic made with real lemon, lime and thyme make the perfect sundowner aperitif, while classics like the old fashioned and Manhattan are crafted to perfection. 

 

Why go: Part restaurant, part bar, Bunker sits right in the midst of Sathorn’s upscale party district. The brutalist concrete building’s many angles and alcoves make for intimate tete-a-tetes over serious new-wave cocktails, small-batch wines or craft beers—just the spot to mingle with Bangkok’s beau-monde before heading to the harder partying spots nearby. 

 

Drink this: The R&R, a frothy, well-shaken mix of gin, rosella, raisin and citrus juice, is exactly the kind of refreshing, easy drinker that a night on Bunker’s alfresco terrace calls for. 

 

Why go: Occupying the top two floors of a modern skycraper, this club turns out one of Bankgok's most luxurious nightlife experiences. Bangkok-based big-name DJs like the Bangkok Invaders and Kimball Collins rule the stage, with monthly parties from international guest DJs. Themes for the night change regularly.

 

Drink this: Ce La Vi’s sky-high, 39th floor location and oh-so-chic clientele call for dry martinis—that or bottles of bubbly. 

39/F, Sathorn Square, 98 North Sathorn Rd., 02-108-2000. Open Tue-Thu 6pm-2am, Fri-Sat 9pm-2am. BTS Chong Nonsi

 

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CHINATOWN-CHAROENKRUNG

Chinatown used to be only about eating at time-worn restaurants and walking through moody, crumbling streets where traditional Sino-Thai home life spills into public sight. Now though, you’ll also discover a cluster of the coolest new cocktail bars and live music spots in town, attracting a young, arty crowd to the area. 

 

Why go: Neon red Chinese letters and a do-nothing approach to shop-house restoration give this bar the requisite look of old Hong Kong cool, complete with open frontage that spills onto the Yoawarat streets. Don't miss owner Tikhamporn Chuenkittivoravat's duck wontons—she trained at the Oriental as a chef.

 

Drink this: Opium sees a classic negroni spiked with ginseng and herbal liquor, while Five Rivers infuses the flavors of Chinese five spice into rum, Drambuie and Fernet Blanca.

 

Why go: This straightforward but stylish bar does just what you’d hope from a name like SoulBar. Live soul and funk bands fill the tiny front room every Wed-Sat starting from 9:30pm, often continuing the party after the shutters come down. 

 

Drink this: On top of a line of craft beer from Chiang Mai and the local indie favorite, Beerlao, the bar also pours Vedette on tap.

 

Why go: Step inside this old shop-house and you're transported to a retro Hong Kong diner like something out of In the Mood for Love—think warm lighting, carefully positioned mirrors and vintage mosaic tiles. Downstairs you'll find a hip bistro serving cold cuts and crepes alongside wine. 

 

Drink this: Downstairs is all about pocket- friendly French table wine, while upstairs sits a hush-toned cocktail bar, where French spirits are spotlighted in classic cocktails based on The Savoy Cocktail Book (first published back in 1930).

 

Why go: The highlight of this moody bar hidden behind a reclaimed Indian door is its vast collection of gin, from the must-try Xoriguer Mahon Gin to the locally distilled Iron Balls and house-infused selections like the Thaitea GT. The decor mixes old shop-house charm with racy photographs and old-school Thai movie artwork. 

 

Drink this: The menu changes all the time, with roughly five things to choose from that often play with local botanicals. You can also tell the barman what kind of cocktail you like and let him make something new for you.

 

Why go: Located in the crumbling streets of the up-and-coming Charoenkrung area, this restored shop-house has plenty of raw appeal, emphasized with mood lighting and simple wooden tables. Come nightfall, enjoy your drinks while Thai musicians take the stage to play traditional music from the Central region.

 

Drink this: Here, you'll find potent cocktails mixed with Thai fruits, herbs and spices. There's also a good line of home-infused ya dong (Thai herbal whiskey) as well as a kitchen specializing in Thai tapas (as well as a few classics like pad Thai).