A toast to modern ART
Restaurant and drinking den Vesper literally turns cocktail mixing into an art form
IF YOU like your cocktails crafted and artsy, look no further than Vesper, which is now serving |14 brand new mixes inspired by modern art.
Always at the experimental edge of the Bangkok cocktail scene, swanky Vesper recently introduced a new cocktail menu titled “The Art Book”. It’s inspired b y the Modern Art movement of the 1860s to 1970s when artists such as Picasso and Magritte broke away with traditions and started experimenting with new ways of seeing the world around them.
Combining owner Choti Leenutaphong’s passion for art and Group Bar Manager Pailin Sajjanit’s cocktail savviness, the new menu is a nine-month collaborative effort that represents the underlying meaning of each artwork in a way that the artist intended to communicate.
The launch event last week was a real gastronomic treat as the artsy cocktails were paired with a soulful four-course dinner created by new head chef Francesco Deiana from Sardinia.
Simple and fresh three-way bruschetta was served with “The Gold of the Azure”, inspired by Joan Miro’s abstract surreal piece from 1967. Pailin, who is also World Class’s Southeast Asia Best Bartender 2016, spent some time staring into the blue and yellow painting, and came up with this smooth, well-balanced sour style drink with chorizo-infused gin, maple syrup, Licor 43, lemon and egg white.
Next up was “IKB 191”, inspired by Yves Klein’s realist artwork that, according to Pailin was the most challenging to create, because the whole painting is nothing but International Klein Blue. The cocktail is not blue in colour though, but each sip gives off a cooling, stern and perplexed sensation – the same feeling you have when staring in to the deep blue of the painting. The drink, made with Ketel One vodka, Talisker 10-year-old Scotch and raspberry flavoured vodka, was paired with the flavourful Sardinian fregola pasta with clams and mussels in tomato sauce.
Grilled quail with champignon mushrooms was presented next, along with “The Treachery of Images”, concocted from the Dadaism image of Rene Magritte. Moonshine unaged whiskey, Alipus San Balthazar mezcal, Carpano Bianco and tonic bitters made for a subtle, perfumed yet moody and elegant drink.
Decadent Italian apple frittelle with vanilla ice cream and honey capped off the dinner and was paired with the sophisticated “Audrey Hepburn”, inspired by Andy Warhol’s iconic pop art. The sensually sweet, creamy and fruity dessert went well with the slightly fizzy and cleansing Cosmopolitan style concoction of G’Vine Floraison gin, La Quintyne Dry vermouth, lemon and sparkling wine.
Pailin also creatively invents new infusions by playing around with ingredients that are not traditionally used in a cocktail in order to add more dimension and surprise even the discerning palate. Think rice berry vodka, Spanish chorizo gin and anchovy mezcal. Her other muses include “Rum and Guitar” by George Braque, “Girl Before Mirror” by Pablo Picasso, “The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dali, “Self-Portrait with Necklace of Thorns” by Frida Kahlo and many others.
Vesper is on Soi Convent off Silom Road. It is open for lunch Monday to Friday from noon to 2.30pm, and for dinner daily from 6pm until late.
Call (02) 235 2777; www.VesperBar.co.
“The Art Book” cocktail menu is available until further notice from Bt360 to Bt390 a glass.
