The city's new sky-high cocktail establishment, The Loft, promises to amaze with sleek interiors, expansive Bangkok views, and delicate concoctions inspired by vintage recipes included in the classic cocktail tome The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book.
One of the three segments of Waldorf Astoria’s top-floor dining and wining triplex, The Loft is an elegant mélange of vintage charm and sheer opulence, its interiors evocative of a cool artist’s tastefully decorated digs. Big communal wooden tables are splashed with paint, Pollock-style, while painting accessories scattered across the bar do their part to represent the artist’s studio. The center of the room highlights Art Nouveau elements, a spider-shaped chandelier and a sleek marble bar top, while a floor-to-ceiling glass wall provides a 180-degree lookout over Bangkok’s illuminated skyscrapers.
Head bartender and bar manager Michele Montauti (formerly at The House on Sathorn) puts his spin on classics featured in The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, and conjures up contemporary variations that tickle the palate and appease the cocktail connoisseur. He recommends the fizzy Lalla Rookh (B450), a mix of Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum, Pierre Ferrand Cognac, rose syrup, lime, egg white and vanilla soda, or the Waldorf Claret Cup (B480), a well-balanced bevvy that combines the fruity, sweet and acidic notes of Martell Cognac, dry curacao, Maraschino liqueur, lime and a splash of soda. For an old-school classic with a local punch, go for the spirits-forward Waldorf (B450), which combines Michter’s Bourbon, Mancino Vermouth and chocolate bitters with Thai basil.
