Reka:bar’s Naughty Congee.
REKA:BAR
No.67M, Jalan Setia Bakti, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur
Business hours: 6pm to midnight (Monday to Saturday) and 5pm to midnight (Sunday).
Reservations: 010-287 8908
Striving to push the boundaries of innovation and deliciousness in concoctions, the basic principles of Reka:bar’s drinks are accessibility and sustainability.
Its inaugural signature menu, The Domino Effect, has every cocktail linked to the other by a common ingredient but expressed in different forms.
For example, the use of cacao can be seen in Forbidden Nib-ble that mixes Dewar’s 12-Year-Old, Port Charlotte’s 10-Year-Old, Melaka cacao nibs, apple, aromatic bitters and masala powder.
Strawberry Feels blends Campari, Bacardi Cuatro, pineapple, coconut, strawberry and cacao mist.
Reka:bar also changes its spotlight menus occasionally; drinks are designed to highlight a particular idea, theme or flavour.
Circa Bar’s PB&J is an eye-catcher.
CIRCA BAR
No.8-7, Jalan Batai, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur
Business hours: 6pm to 2am daily
Reservations: 014-726 2474
Hidden along a back alley in Damansara Heights, Circa Bar is accessible through a “hole in the wall” and a walk up a spiral staircase.
Patrons need to retrieve a weekly passcode from the bar’s Instagram page to unlock the door.
Its signature concoctions include the Edison cocktail – butterfly pea flowers added to a combination of torch ginger flower-infused gin, rose extract and cane syrup – and Yuan Dynasty, which is a warm brew of oolong tea spiked with Hennessy VSOP, osmanthus syrup infused with orange peel and pandan leaf.
Deejays are on from Thursday to Saturday and that’s when customers can groove to R&B tunes.
Patrons can enjoy one-for-one cocktails, wine by the bottle and beer during the bar’s daily Happy Hour from 6pm to 9pm.
Ladies Night is every Thursday from 9pm onwards with complimentary drinks, while stocks last.
Shorts, slippers and sleeveless shirts are not allowed.
Barrel-aged Americano by BAC.
BAC
No.73-1, Jalan Setia Bakti, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur
Business hours: 6pm to midnight daily.
Reservations: 010-287 0731
It does not matter what the initials BAC stand for. Whether it be “Beef And Cocktails”, “Blood Alcohol Content” or “Before Any Covid”, BAC is keen to take visitors back to a time when unadulterated fun was the norm.
The bar focuses on highballs, spirits and tonics, with a wide variety of cocktails to choose from.
One of its signatures, BAC to Black, is a mix of Michter’s rye whisky, strawberry, basil balsamic shrub and Chang soda.
Another hot favourite is the Paloma Picante, which harmoniously brings together jalapeño-infused Arquitecto Tequila, Machetazo mezcal, saline solution, lime sour syrup and East Imperial grapefruit soda.
Hey Jasmine at Skullduggery.
SKULLDUGGERY
No.2M, Plaza Damansara, Jalan Medan Setia 2, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours: 5pm to 1am (Tuesday to Thursday) and 5pm to 2am (Friday and Saturday)
Reservations: 017-266 7335
The skull motif is the only clue to finding the hidden entrance to Skullduggery.
The bar, under Huckleberry Hospitality Group Sdn Bhd, imports 60% of the premium spirits for its cocktails.
Known for its fruity and refreshing cocktails, new creations including Midori, which is a mix of gin, honey, matcha, turmeric, Japanese cucumber and clarified milk, are to be expected.
For something more zesty, Hey Jasmine adds a unique twist to the Maverick Martini, which uses kaffir lime leaf-infused rum, homemade honey jasmine, passion fruit syrup, champagne and topped with mango foam.
The cosy setting inspired by European and American bars makes Skullduggery the perfect place for groups wanting to catch up with each other while enjoying some signature drinks.
