It's unfortunate that the concept of the Prohibition—a temperance movement spanning the 1920s that banned alcohol consumption in the US, but ironically when the cocktail culture blossomed in the country—has been reduced into a marketing gimmick for many a retro-inspired cocktail bar. 008, a new secret bar in Thonglor hasrescued the concept by offering a drink menu that pays proper respect to the spirits of the era.
Pailin “Milk” Sajjanit, the former head mixologist at Vesper and Zuma, and 2016 Diageo Southeast Asia World Class champion, is in charge. She makes sure the drinks are well-rounded and appropriately play along with the Prohibition theme. Inspired by the zeitgeist of the era, Pailin has come up with spirits-forward numbers with empowering names such as Great Power (B460). Based on a classic Manhattan recipe, this drink mixes Rittenhouse rye with oregano-infused Ysabel Regina brandy and aromatic bitters. Another signature drink, the 1920s (B360), is a more well-rounded version of Negroni, combining Whitley Dry Gin, Campari and clarified orange-infused vermouth.
Forgotten Prohibition classics are also reinterpreted by Pailin. A drink called Pyroblast (B420) is inspired by a recipe from the cocktail tome, Lost Recipes of Prohibition by Matthew Rowley, and has been resurrected as a refreshing rum-based cocktail with coconut syrup and a “Pyroblast syrup” made of spices.
Apart from playing up the Prohibition theme, one of the agendas of 008 is to focus on classic cocktails and deliver them as they are supposed to be. “We take classic cocktails very seriously,” Pailin declares. “We are very precise in the measurement of each ingredient and respect the original recipes by trying not to alter them. In the end, I want people to return to the classics.”
