“I had always wanted to start a drinking initiative wherein bartenders make use of leftover ingredients from Bo.lan's kitchen,” reveals Dharath Hoonchamlong, the environmental manager at the popular fine-dining space. “When I collected data on the waste from the kitchen and showed it to Gov [former head bartender at Liberation], he realized that the variety and the amount of leftovers are more than enough to create a full cocktail menu for a bar.”
Dharath's idea came into reality during the COVID-19 pandemic, when chef/owner Bo Songvisava decided to turn the area at the front of the restaurant into a communal space. This area now hosts Wasteland, a zero-waste bar spearheaded by some of the most well-known figures in Bangkok's bar scene: Kittibordee Chortubtim and Krit Parkobdee, the former mixologists at Liberation; Suchada Sopajaree, a respected drinks consultant; Phanurat Yookongsak, the brain behind local tonic water brand Nammon; and Dharath who’s in charge of creative projects and waste management.
“Wasteland wants to explore and maximize the potential of waste,” says Dharath. But this can only be done with the kitchen team's full cooperation. “We need to have good communication with the people in the kitchen and make sure that we don’t burden them with more chores. Also, [knowledge of] cooking techniques can open our eyes to more possibilities of what bartenders can do with the ingredients.”
Now on soft opening, Wasteland offers a limited, but still impressive, drinks list that includes Recalling Past Lives (B350), which incorporates niam leaves and dog fennel; and Flower Market 1.5 (B350), a milky drink with citrus fruits.
Also worth a try is Kittibordee’s version of hojicha (Japanese green tea), which makes use of toasted sweet basil. Creative coffee drinks will also be served once the drinking space officially opens in mid-August. We recommend you pair your drinks with bar chows and snacks churned out by Err kitchen such as pork rind with secret "fairy dust" (B125), larb-flavored popcorn (B95) and mixed pincho (B65).
