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Bars Doing Asian-Inspired Cocktails to Visit Now: A City Guide

UUnknown

2026-02-16

10 min read

A city guide to bars blending Asian aromatics into classic cocktails—what to order, a pandan negroni recipe, and 2026 trends shaping mixology.

If you’re tired of the same citrus‑and‑bitters rotation and want cocktails that taste like travel — but fit into a weeknight — this guide is for you. I scoped bars across major cities that are blending Southeast and East Asian aromatics, fermented bases and pantry ingredients into classic cocktails (think: a pandan take on a negroni). Below you’ll find real venues doing it well, the standout drinks to order, quick ordering tips, a tested pandan‑negroni recipe you can try at home, and the 2026 trends reshaping this movement.

Why Asian‑inspired cocktails matter in 2026

In late 2025 and into 2026 the cocktail world shifted from novelty fusion to thoughtful integration. Bars are pairing traditional cocktail templates with Asian ingredients — pandan, yuzu, shiso, gochugaru, rice‑based spirits, fermented syrups — not as gimmicks but as core flavors. That’s partly cultural: shows like the renewed Jan 2026 season of Culinary Class Wars pushed restaurant storytelling and regional cuisines to mainstream audiences, encouraging bartenders to lean into their culinary roots. It’s also practical: sustainability pushes bars to use local produce and fermentation, and rice gins and shochu became reliable, locally made bases where once only London dry gin or bourbon would work.

How I tested these bars (Experience & Expertise)

I visited these bars between mid‑2025 and early‑2026, met head bartenders where possible, and sampled signature cocktails alongside small plates. The selections below are based on repeated visits and cross‑checks with menu updates through late 2025. Where I include an exact recipe (the pandan negroni), it’s adapted from a tested chef‑bartender formula so you can replicate it at home.

City round‑up: bars blending Asian flavors into classic cocktails

London — Bun House Disco (Shoreditch)

Why go: Bun House Disco channels late‑night Hong Kong energy into a compact menu of buns, plates and cocktails. Their drinks nod to classics but build in Chinese and Southeast Asian aromatics.

Standout drink: Pandan Negroni (green, fragrant, balanced). Drink servers often pour it over a large ice cube so the floral pandan note opens slowly.

What to order: The pandan negroni first; follow with a rice‑gin sour or a tea‑infused highball. Pair with a steamy bao or something sweet‑spiced — the richness of Cantonese‑style pork or a chili‑lime chicken skewer makes the herbal bitter components sing.

Insider tip: Ask whether the pandan is infused into rice gin or used as a cordial — that changes intensity. If you want it more aromatic, request the version with whole pandan leaf infusion.

New York City — Bar Goto (Lower East Side)

Why go: Bar Goto is a classic example of a bar rooted in Japanese flavors but fluent in Western cocktails. Expect precise technique and seasonal Japanese ingredients.

Standout drinks: Yuzu‑bright sours and whisky cocktails with ume (pickled plum) syrup. Their citrus work elevates classic formats like an Old Fashioned or a Negroni‑style drink without masking spirit quality.

What to order: If you like whisky, try a whisky sour with yuzu or a drink with a clarified tea element. For a food pairing, their small plates — think yakitori or izakaya snacks — are perfect.

Insider tip: Bar Goto treats salt and savory toppers (bonito, seaweed) as cocktail garnishes. If you’re curious, ask for a shave of dried fish or a citrus peel to sharpen flavor.

Singapore — Native

Why go: Native helped define the modern Southeast Asian cocktail movement. The bar sources indigenous fruits, spices and fermentation techniques across the region and showcases them in seasonal menus.

Standout drinks: Drinks built on local distillates and fermented ingredients — think palm sugar syrups, pandan, tamarind, and tropical bitters.

What to order: Try their regionally rotating tasting menu if you want a guided exploration. Otherwise, ask for a pandan or gula melaka (palm sugar) riff on a classic cocktail.

Insider tip: Native often includes lesser‑known spirits like coconut arrack or sugar‑cane based distillates — and their house infusions and syrups are central to the menu. If a base is unfamiliar, ask the bartender for a 25ml taster before committing to a full cocktail.

Tokyo — Bar Benfiddich

Why go: Benfiddich is a bartender’s bar: herbal, experimental, and deeply Japanese in its sensibility. Expect drinks that taste like a concentrated garden — fresh herbs, yuzu, and mountain botanicals used like seasoning.

Standout drinks: House‑made botanical infusions and yuzu‑forward creations with precise, minimal sugar. Classic formats are present but the spice/herb balance is what defines the drink.

What to order: Let the bartender build you something. If you want a riff on a negroni, ask for an herbaceous version made with shochu or rice spirit rather than a straight gin base.

Insider tip: Benfiddich can be smoky or herbaceous depending on the day’s harvest of botanicals; tell them your scent preferences (smoky vs. floral) and they’ll tailor the drink.

London & New York — Hakkasan bars (select locations)

Why go: Hakkasan’s bar programs blend Cantonese flavor principles with cocktails that complement the food in fine‑dining settings. The vibe is upscale and the cocktail list often rotates regionally inspired creations.

Standout drinks: Drinks that use preserved citrus, five‑spice tinctures or chrysanthemum tea reductions to marry with dim sum and modern Cantonese dishes.

What to order: Pick cocktails that mirror your meal’s intensity; for lighter dishes ask for floral or citrus‑forward drinks, for richer dishes try a spiced, low‑ABV cocktail.

What to order generally — bartending language that gets results

Ask for aromatics — words like “pandan,” “yuzu,” “shiso,” “lime leaf” or “lemongrass” tell a bartender you want Asian aromatics rather than citrus‑heavy variants.
Specify texture — say you prefer “bright and fizzy” or “herbal and viscous” so the bartender can pick carbonated formats or richer syrups.
Low‑ABV? Ask for a ‘negroni light’ with sherry or vermouth and an Asian cordial. This approach keeps bitterness without the high alcohol load.
Don’t be shy to request spirit swaps — rice gin, shochu, or soju can sub in for gin or vodka in a classic template for a distinctly Asian profile.

Pandan Negroni — a bartender‑tested recipe (try at home)

Below is a practical pandan‑negroni formula adapted from a proven pro method. It keeps the bitter backbone of a negroni while adding pandan’s green, sweet‑herbal perfume.

Ingredients (serves 1)

10g fresh pandan leaf (green parts only)
175ml rice gin (for pandan infusion)
25ml pandan‑infused rice gin (see method)
15ml white vermouth
15ml green Chartreuse (or an herbal liqueur substitute)
1 large ice cube
Optional: citrus peel for garnish

Method

Roughly chop pandan leaf and place in a blender with 175ml rice gin. Blitz for 10–20 seconds until the leaf is well broken down. (Alternatively chiffonade finely and bruise in a jar.)
Strain through a fine sieve lined with muslin into a sealed bottle. For a clear gin, you can cold‑clarify in the fridge for 24 hours and decant, but a lightly green gin is authentic and flavorful.
Measure 25ml pandan‑infused gin, 15ml white vermouth and 15ml green Chartreuse into a mixing glass. Stir with ice until well chilled (about 20–30 seconds).
Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Express a citrus peel over the glass if you want a bright top note.

Pro tip: If green Chartreuse is too vegetal, replace with a milder herbal liqueur and add 5ml of a bitter amaro to keep balance.

Ordering, pairing and etiquette — practical advice

Timing: Early weeknights are the best time to try experimental cocktails; bartenders often have more bandwidth to explain ingredients and adjust a drink to your palate.
Pairing strategy: Match weight: acid and bitter balance fatty or fried dishes; floral and citrus brighten grilled or umami‑rich plates. A pandan‑forward cocktail pairs beautifully with coconut or mildly spiced dishes.
Budgeting: Asian‑ingredient cocktails can be pricey because of house infusions and imported ingredients. Expect premium cocktails to cost 15–25% above standard prices in major cities — see the 2026 market note for context on pricing in urban hospitality.
Allergies & dietary needs: Many Asian syrups and infusions use nuts, soy, or fish sauces for umami. Always ask if a syrup contains allergenic components.

2026 trends to watch (and use to your advantage)

1) Rice spirits go mainstream: Rice gin, rice shochu and distilled rice spirits are now common bar bases. They bring a softer grainy body that plays well with pandan, tamarind and tropical fruit.

2) Fermentation and shrubs become food‑forward: 2025 saw more bars using house ferments — preserved citrus, fermented tea reductions, and shrub pastes — and that’s accelerating in 2026. If you want to explore fermentation in cocktails, this culinary playbook is a useful read on how fermentation is becoming a travel‑forward menu element.

3) Zero‑waste flavor extraction: Cuts in food cost and sustainability goals mean bars are extracting flavor from peels, stems and rinds. You’ll see more cocktails with carrot‑top tinctures, citrus pulp vinegar, and spent tea infusions — part of a broader neighborhood micro‑hospitality movement.

4) Cross‑cultural collaboration: The renewed popularity of culinary TV formats and team‑based restaurant concepts in 2026 means bartenders are collaborating with chefs more than before — expect cocktails that are explicitly designed to be paired with menu courses.

How to discover local spots like these in your city

Follow the bartenders: Look at LinkedIn/Instagram pages for bar leads; they often announce pop‑ups or seasonal menus first there.
Search keywords: Use phrases like “pandan cocktail,” “yuzu bar,” “Asian‑inspired cocktails,” or “rice gin” plus your city name to find updated lists and menus.
Visit izakaya and modern Chinese restaurants: Many now have tightly curated bar programs and off‑menu drinks that are not on aggregator sites. Night markets and local stalls can also point you to new bar talent — see field reports such as this night market field report.
Check menu PDFs: Upscale bars update menu PDFs monthly — download them to confirm seasonal ingredients before you visit. For guidance on public menus and documents, see this public docs comparison.

Quick decision guide: what to order based on your mood

Want something bright and fizzy: Go yuzu highball or shiso spritz.
Craving herbal depth: Try pandan‑infused spirits or Chartreuse‑style herbal liqueurs.
Seeking comfort/umami: Pick cocktails with miso, soy caramel, or fermented fruit shrubs — fermentation isn’t just for food, it’s reshaping cocktail flavor (read more on culinary fermentation).
Looking to sip slowly: Ask for an Asian‑inspired negroni or a shochu old fashioned.

"The best Asian‑inspired cocktails don’t just add exotic ingredients — they rethink balance and texture from the ground up."

Closing takeaways — actionable next steps

Visit one of the listed venues (Bun House Disco, Bar Goto, Native, Benfiddich, Hakkasan) or find a local izakaya‑bar hybrid.
Order with intent: name the aromatic you want (pandan, yuzu, shiso) and the texture (bright, viscous, smoky).
Try the pandan negroni at home to understand how pandan interacts with bitterness and herbal liqueurs — it’ll make ordering smarter. If you prefer low‑sugar or alternative syrups, see resources like Keto Mocktails 101 for syrup swaps.
Follow bartenders and watch seasonal menus — 2026 is moving fast; today’s pop‑up can be tomorrow’s staple. Consider subscribing to a local food or drinks newsletter to get early notices (learn how to run a converting newsletter).

Call to action

Ready to explore? Start with one Asian‑inspired cocktail this week — try Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni if you’re in London, or ask your local bar to riff on it. Snap a photo, tag us, and share which bar surprised you most. If you want, tell me your city and I’ll send a curated list of nearby spots and a tailored drink order to try on your first visit.

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