Brut, a little speakeasy hidden away in Ari, opened its doors in February, and owner Jiravach ‘James’ Vacharaswetsophon and head bartender Tanut ‘Tee’ Wangsagul take their inspiration from brutalist architecture. The two-story space is sleek and intimate with dull grays, exposed concrete, and minimalist decor fitted with metal beams and black walls—all against red neon lights. It’s a post-war underground bunker. 

 

 

 

The cocktail menu takes its cues from brutalism, film, photography, and literature. The fruity cocktail Boise (B360) is named after the nickname for Oscar Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, a fruity gin-based drink with notes of strawberry, grape, lychee, lime, and orange slices with a jasmine syrup. Like the toxic relationships of the people mentioned, it is a beautiful tragedy that will keep you sipping more.    

 

 

Concrete (B400), in keeping with the brutalism theme, is not a building material; it’s another gin drink with earthy vibes from the charcoal and radish and a kick from the lime and cherries—well-balanced with light sweetness. This one, they say, tastes different for everyone. 

 

 

For savory cocktail fans there’s the Katsuobushi (B450), which means smoked and fermented skipjack tuna in Japanese. Its production process is impressive, involving smoking and resting the fish more than ten times. Then, it’s shaved into flakes that they used to infuse with gin. The infusion is mixed with Lillet Blanc, rice wine, and shoyu sauce, and the cherry is the final garnish: made with seaweed, fermented cucumber, and katsuobushi.  

 

 

You’ll find a long list of negronis—including ones with espresso, ume, and peanut butter—as well as a range of tonics and gins with chrysanthemum and genmatcha.