Indonesia, a tropical country that might get you interested because they are known for their nature. Their natural beauty, culture, with warm weather, make it a perfect destination for a holiday. One of the islands in Indonesia you might recognize is Bali.
Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar truly elevates Jakarta’s cocktail scene with its innovative use of local ingredients. Their drinks are a perfect blend of tradition and creativity.
Key Takeaways
More than just Bali, Indonesia offers everything you can get, from beaches, forests, mountains, even citylight ambience in the city such as Jakarta. One thing that you don't want to miss is their local cocktail.
Indonesia has a wide range of local cocktails you can enjoy. If you want to enjoy a local Indonesian cocktail, don't worry. In this article, Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar, an expert at local cocktails in Jakarta will guide you through local cocktails in Indonesia and bring you to the journey of Indonesian gastronomy. Make sure to read this article!
So, what is a cocktail? According to BinWise, a cocktail is any beverage that is made from two or more ingredients and usually contains alcohol inside.
Cocktail was born in New Orleans around the mid-1800s, served in bars and restaurants where it came from mixed brandy drinks. Coming from the word "coquetier", the customer later shortened it to "cocktay" and it became "cocktail" over time.
The original cocktail contains a mix of brandy, orange curacao, and bitters, shaken with ice water and served with lemon peel. Overtime, there are many original classic variations such as gin cocktails, rum cocktails, and whiskey cocktails.
But around the world of cocktails, or bars, there are debates on what is the difference between cocktails and mixed drinks.
But according to several bartenders in the United States, interviewed by Food&Wine, a mixed drink is a drink where two ingredients are mixed into a drink. Meanwhile, a cocktail is a kind of drink that takes time to make and create with a lot of ingredients on the drink and not just mixed with it.
It is essential to understand what is the cocktail itself and what makes it different from the local mixed drink. Some of the cocktail variations are made without alcohol and have the same recipe as the cocktail, which is called "Mocktail". Mocktail is supposed to be the no-alcohol version of the cocktail.
So here it is, that's our short brief explanation about what a cocktail is.
Also read: Everything You Need to Know About Craft Cocktails
Here are some Indonesian local cocktails that will offer you a journey across the country and diverse cultures that are served inside of these glasses or cups.
Our first choice is P and C Cocktail. Inspired by classic Negroni, this drink combines cocktails with Indonesian fruit and spices such as pandan and coconut.
Created by Michelin-star chef Tom Aikens, this cocktail tastes both bitter and sweet, giving a harmony that was born from the complexity of the flavors.
The pandan leaf gives the cocktail a whole new level of taste, giving a natural taste you have never experienced before.
The ingredients consist of coconut oil fat-washed Tanqueray gin, pandan sous vide carpano antica, campari, and a pandan leaf as a garnish.
Our next local cocktail from the island of Bali. Came from one of the famous Potato Heads, Flores Margarita is a kind of Indonesian approach to margarita.
The name came from Flores Island in eastern part of Indonesia who's famous for its Komodo Island and the natural ingredients to create this cocktail.
To make this, you will blend arak Kintamani orange and blend it with rosella flowers into your margarita. And the ingredients are rosella-infused tequila, orange-infused arak, lime juice, pink citrus, and rosella syrup.
Bali also got their own eco-friendly cocktail. Served at Four Seasons Resort Bali, Zero Waste cocktail utilizes every part of the fruits so there is no part to waste.
One of them is Made's Margarita, which is Tequila and tangerine liqueur, garnished with edible flowers. This cocktail brings sour, sweet, bitter, and floral flavors at the same time. It's like a festival with a cup of drink.
And of course, this cocktail is eco-friendly since it leaves no waste when it's made.
Our next local cocktail comes straight from Jakarta, to be precise, originally made by Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar.
This cocktail is intended as a depiction of Balinese ancient rites. In this drink, you can find the mix of arak Bali, local rum, blended with honje (kecombrang), lemongrass, orange leaf and strawberry, giving a light and refreshing fruity taste.
This cocktail intended to bring you a vibe of Bali with a spiritual journey, makes you travel around temples in Bali. At Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar, this cocktail is best served with keripik tempe and sambal matah.
Going back to Bali, this drink is a Balinese approach of classic Manhattan. Made with a fermented glutinous rice liqueur that is used for ceremonies called "brem", combined with Bulleit Bourbon, brings a different experience to enjoy Manhattan.
It's a little bit bitter with herbs in the background. But at the same time, you can feel the vermouth from Manhattan. To create this cocktail, you need Bulleit Bourbon, Brem, and Cockburn Tawny Port.
If you want to experience what Indonesian gastronomy offers in a single cocktail, you can try Ginger N Rose. This cocktail combined complex taste, great presentation, and different experience.
Topped with rosemary, this cocktail is infused with classic arak, and mixed with butterfly pea flower infusion and lemon juice to bring a beautiful purple on the presentation. Once you mix it with a regal cocktail, you will be greeted by a visually appealing reaction from the mixing of both drinks.
For this cocktail, all you need is ginger-infused arak, butterfly pea flower infusion, and ginger syrup. lemon juice, triple sec, lemon slice and charred rosemary sprig.
Named after West Java culture, Pasundan Fashioned creates a twist on a traditional local drink.
Made using traditional herbal ingredients, such as pohpohan leaf, such as pohpohan, mixed with bourbon and beetroot, infused with honey and pineapple, creates a traditional taste but in a form of cocktail.
To make this, you need pohpohan leaves, bourbon, beetroot, pineapple juice, and honey syrup. You can add skewer jelly as the garnish.
Let's get back to Jakarta, right at Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar, where we introduce you to Jam Pukul Lima.
Served in traditional Indonesian tin mug, Jam Pukul Lima is a kind of coffee cocktail that will bring you into the ambience of Minahasan people.
This drink uses Cap Tikus, a local spirit made from fresh sap of palm trees, mixed with banana extract and bulukumba coffee, giving it a bold, fruity, and refreshing taste at the same time.
Jam Pukul Lima is best served with pisang sale that tastes fruity and sweet at the same time. You can enjoy this at Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar.
Our next local cocktail is Gang Kelinci. As the name is inspired by a legendary song, but also in an area located in Central Jakarta, this cocktail brings a more balanced flavor.
Made with local gin white wine, tomato, olive water, and secang wood, this cocktail will bring a medium umami flavor that is refreshing for the drinkers.
Since it's umami, sweet, woody and sour at the same time, this cocktail also feels a little bit funky with pickled tomato in it. You can get this cocktail at Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar.
Our last local Indonesian cocktail you should know is Djakarta Sour. Inspired by vibes of the metropolitan Jakarta, this cocktail uses traditional Anggur Merah or Amer as their base.
Mixed with whisky sour and infused with some local wisdom, it brings a distinctive sweet and sour taste that depict the characteristics of Jakarta.
You can taste the flavor of sweet and sour, with earthy and herbal taste that came from vegan foam. This is one of our finest cocktails that we taste in Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar.
At Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar, the cocktail is served with traditional Indonesian pastry called Semprong.
Also read: What is a Vinyl Bar and Where is the Best Vinyl Bar Kemang
If you want to find the best local cocktail bar in Jakarta, we recommend you to visit Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar. This bar is such a heaven for everyone who wants to explore Indonesian taste through cocktails.
This bar brilliantly captures Indonesia’s rich culinary heritage in every cocktail. It’s a must-visit for anyone interested in authentic local flavors.
Located at A3000 Creative Compound, Jl. Kemang Raya No.8B, South Jakarta, this bar serves home-made local cocktails that will bring a whole new level of gastronomy through cocktails. Moreover, the cocktail also brings a bit of nostalgia since it was served with traditional Indonesian snacks as their side dish.
We recommend you to try signature cocktails from this bar, which is Sandhora, Trio Ambisi, Gang Kelinci, Djakarta Sour, Dialog Dini Hari, and Jam Pukul Lima.
Furthermore, this bar is also a listening bar, where you can enjoy your favorite cocktail while listening to hundreds of curated high-quality vinyl.
That is why you can find the harmony between music, speakeasy bar ambience, slow living atmosphere, and refreshing cocktail in the middle of bustling activities of Jakarta.
With that ambience, Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar offer an intimate and calm atmosphere for you to enjoy every local cocktail in this bar.
According to VOI.id, Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar is the right bar if you want to find the combination of intimacy, warmth, tranquility, and joy that fits for every music enthusiast and cocktail lover at the same place.
Furthermore, some patrons that visited this bar love the fact that mixologists and bartenders at Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar are creative, able to create cocktails that depict a wide range of Indonesian cultures.
Make sure to visit Foam Vinyl & Cocktail Bar to enjoy your favorite cocktail.
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