The most exciting thing happening in Malaysian cocktails right now is not new spirits or new techniques. It is the slow, deliberate work of building serious drinks around local ingredients. Pandan, gula melaka, calamansi, kopi-O, kaffir lime leaf, bunga kantan, hibiscus, sambal, asam boi. These ingredients have been in Malaysian kitchens for centuries. Behind a bar, they make the case that "Malaysian cocktail" can mean something more than a Singapore Sling. Here are ten drinks worth tasting through in 2026.
1. Pandan Collins
Gin, fresh pandan syrup, lime, soda. The Malaysian Tom Collins. The pandan adds a perfumed-grassy character that lifts the citrus without dominating. Easy to drink in 32-degree weather. Recipe. Deeper read: Pandan in beverages.
2. Gula Melaka Old Fashioned
Whisky, gula melaka syrup, aromatic bitters, expressed orange peel. The local-sugar version of the classic. Gula melaka adds caramel-clove notes that bourbon and aged rum take beautifully. Recipe. Deeper read: Gula melaka and the palm sugar spectrum.
3. Kopi Sour
Whisky, cold-brewed kopi-O, gula melaka syrup, fresh lemon, foamed. The Malaysian whisky sour. The kopi-O bitterness balances the sweetness; the lemon cuts through the whisky. Wakes you up and calms you down in the same glass. Recipe. Deeper read: Robusta for coffee cocktails.
4. Calamansi Highball
Vodka or soft gin, fresh calamansi juice (about six fruit), palm sugar syrup, soda. Sharper than a G&T, more local than a Tom Collins. Best with Malaysian food. Recipe. Deeper read: Calamansi: the Malaysian citrus we keep behind the bar.
5. Cili Padi Margarita
Tequila blanco, fresh lime, agave syrup, half a cili padi muddled with seeds in, chilli-salt rim. The Malaysian heat plus the tequila tradition. Less of a novelty than it sounds; the cili padi just amplifies the natural pepper in good tequila. Deeper read: Cili padi in cocktails.
6. Bandung Spritz
Gin (or vodka), rose syrup, a short pour of milk (or oat for vegan), top with prosecco. Bandung in a wine glass, grown up. Visually pink, slightly creamy, surprisingly dry. Deeper read: Bandung, grown up.
7. Teh Tarik Old Fashioned
Bourbon (or aged rum), teh tarik reduction (strong black tea reduced with condensed milk), cardamom bitters, pinch of salt. The mamak classic, deconstructed and rebuilt for an Old Fashioned format. A KL nightcap. Deeper read: Teh tarik, deconstructed.
8. Cendol Milk Punch
Aged rum, coconut milk, gula melaka syrup, pandan tincture, pinch of salt. Cendol in a glass. Coconut-and-pandan tropical Malaysia in a drink. Pour over fresh ice. The most-shared photo on Instagram from either of our bars.
9. Hibiscus Margarita
Tequila, lime, agave syrup, hibiscus (roselle) concentrate. The hibiscus replaces the orange liqueur, turns the drink pink, adds tart-floral complexity. Deeper read: Hibiscus and roselle.
10. Bunga Kantan Gimlet
Gin, lime cordial, fresh torch ginger flower (bunga kantan) muddled in. A bright, slightly perfumed, deeply local twist on the classic Gimlet. Bunga kantan brings a flavour that nothing else in Western bartending touches. Deeper read: Bunga kantan in cocktails.
Where to drink these
Eight of these ten are on either our menu or the customisable side of our bars at any given time. The other two are seasonal or off-menu, ask the bartender. Both Dissolved Solids in Damansara Kim and Soluble Solids in SS2 will build any of them on request.
Other PJ and KL bars also pour several of these. The Malaysian-local cocktail conversation is bigger than any one bar; if you are exploring the category, try variations across multiple rooms. Each bartender's house take is slightly different.
The bigger picture
The reason these drinks matter is not novelty. It is that they make the case for Malaysia having its own cocktail vernacular, built on local ingredients, drinkable in tropical climate, paired naturally with local food. Same logic as why Italian cocktails (Negroni, Spritz, Sbagliato) succeeded globally: they are built on local ingredients and they make sense locally first.
If you are visiting Malaysia or new to Malaysian cocktails, ordering any of the ten above tells you more about the local scene than ordering a Margarita or a Negroni would. The Negroni is fine. The Pandan Collins is a small portrait of the country.
Related reading
- Full cocktail menu, what is on right now.
- Malaysian fruits in cocktails, rambutan, mangosteen, ciku, longan, more.
- Cocktails with Malaysian food, what to drink with nasi lemak, satay.
- Cocktail bars in PJ, where to drink these.
- Sambal in cocktails, the experimental edge.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Malaysian-local cocktail?
A Malaysian-local cocktail is built on ingredients native to or long-established in the local pantry: pandan, gula melaka, calamansi, kopi-O, kaffir lime, bunga kantan, cili padi, hibiscus, asam boi, teh tarik. The category emerged in the 2010s as Klang Valley bartenders moved past Singapore Sling cliches and treated these ingredients with the same seriousness Italian bars treat Campari.
Which Malaysian cocktail should I try first?
Pandan Collins is the easiest entry: gin, fresh pandan syrup, lime, soda; tall, refreshing, photographable, perfect for 32-degree weather. If you prefer spirit-forward, the Gula Melaka Old Fashioned (whisky, palm sugar syrup, aromatic bitters, orange peel) introduces the caramel-clove notes that define so much Malaysian cocktail vocabulary. Kopi Sour is the must-try for coffee drinkers.
What's the difference between a Pandan Collins and a Tom Collins?
Structurally identical (gin, sweetener, citrus, soda) but the sweetener is fresh pandan syrup instead of plain sugar. Pandan adds a perfumed-grassy character that lifts the citrus without dominating, making the drink more aromatic and slightly fuller-bodied than a Tom Collins. Pandan also pairs with Malaysian food in a way plain sugar cannot.
Can I substitute gula melaka for brown sugar in cocktails?
Yes, but the drink changes character. Gula melaka adds caramel-clove and a faint smokiness from the open-pan reduction; brown sugar is sweeter and cleaner. Use gula melaka as a syrup (50g sugar dissolved in 100ml water) at the same volume as simple syrup. The Old Fashioned, Daiquiri, and Whisky Sour all gain depth from the swap.
Where can I try these Malaysian cocktails in PJ?
Eight of the ten listed are on the menu or buildable at Dissolved Solids (43-1 Jalan SS20/11, Damansara Kim, WhatsApp +60 11-4008 7607) and Soluble Solids (50-1 Jalan SS2/24, WhatsApp +60 11-1682 8651). Other PJ and KL bars also pour several. Tell the bartender you want to taste through the Malaysian-local list and we will build a small flight.