The buzz: After winning Diageo's Southeast Asia World Class cocktail competition in 2016, Pailin “Milk” Sajjanit took up residence at our Silom favorite, Vesper, followed by a stint at Zuma. She has now opened her own bar in Thonglor—and it doesn’t disappoint.

The decor: Interiors come courtesy of the team behind Q&A and Thaipioka. The bar is somewhat hidden but if you’ve been to either Q&A or Thaipioka, you should have a pretty good idea of what to look out for when seeking the entrance. Tucked away on the 11th floor of the new Akyra hotel, inside, the place gives out a soft yet masculine vibe, with dark brown woods tying everything together. The bar spreads across almost one whole side of the room, with a large table tucked at the end—similar to Thaipioka—where you can enjoy a private corner.

The drinks: Milk loves spirit-forward cocktails, and she’s good at making them, though before you get scared, there are some easier drinking options on the menu, too. We love the summery Pyroblast (B420)—a mix of Plantation pineapple rum, clarified pineapple, coconut water and “pyro syrup”—a mix of cinnamon and other spices that Milk discovered when she was reading Matthew Rowley’s book Lost Recipes of Prohibition. Newbies to spirit-forward cocktails may want to start off with a 1920s (Whitley dry gin, Campari and clarified orange infused vermouth, B360)—a drier, lighter version of a negroni. Experienced drinkers can dive right in with the Great Powers (Rittenhouse rye, Ysabel Regina—cognac aged in a sherry cask—infused with oregano and topped with aromatic bitters, B460); as the name suggests, it’s powerful, but the good thing about drinking cocktails made by an SEA award-winner is that they’re so well-balanced, they go down easily no matter how potent they are.

The music: You guessed it: jazz.

The crowd: This is a serious cocktail drinking spot, yet it maintains a fun and lively vibe that could be enjoyed by everyone from your dad on weekdays to a big group of friends on a Friday night.  

Why we’d come back: We’re so happy to see Milk back behind the bar again after her days at Vesper (and Zuma)—there’s no doubt that we’ll be returning to try more of those well-rounded spirit-forward cocktails. Choltanutkun Tun-atiruj