How it tastes
An old fashioned, but the sweetness is darker. Gula melaka is closer to a smoky caramel than to white sugar. It pulls the whisky into something that tastes a little like burnt toffee and a little like vanilla-rich coffee. The bitters do their usual job of holding the spirit and the sweetness apart so neither dominates. The orange peel sits on top in the nose. We pour it short and don't rush it.
Why we built it
Most "Asian" old fashioneds in Southeast Asia lean on either palm sugar or condensed milk. We've tried both. Gula melaka, when the syrup is made fresh and not over-cooked, has a depth that white sugar simply doesn't reach. The trick is the grade: a dark gula melaka from a smaller producer reads as smoky-sweet, where a paler one reads as just sweet. More on the palm sugar spectrum and how we choose our grade.
Where to drink it
On request at Dissolved Solids in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya. The gula melaka syrup is always behind the bar. We make a fresh batch every week. Walk-ins welcome, or reserve a table if you'd like one ready when you arrive.