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Despite its main business as a tea house, Hermit’s Hut (No.15,
Lane 553, Alley 46, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District.
Tel: +886 2 2746 6929) lures a curious crowd with three phenomenal
cocktails. It’s impossible not to make quick work of the rum-based
Rocky Charm, where notes of ripe fruits in Cliff Tea Shu Xuan are
matched with sour cherries and hawthorns. (Word on the grapevine
is that they’ll be launching a tea-focused cocktail bar-cum-gallery in
Xitan, China.)
As the Taiwanese do
The hallmark of Nick Wu’s Bar Mood (No. 53, Lane 160, Section
1, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District. Tel: +886 905 773 621) is his
elegant use of aboriginal produce. The menu, akin to a snazzy
encyclopaedia, contrasts these lesser known ingredients with their
western counterparts. Maqaw-infused (a citrusy mountain pepper
foraged by aboriginal tribes) Bulleit Rye Whisky in the Lalu Gu
Makauy (NT$450) versus the pepper in the Don Julio Blanco-based
Spice Raft (NT$450); Goji versus blueberries; and chrysanthemum
versus chamomile, to name a few. Note: Whisky fiends can look
forward to Ka Va Lan Series.
G&T gets the Taiwanese treatment with kaoliang (NT$300) at the
neon-lit RON Xinyi (No. 12, Section 2, Keelung Road, Xinyi District.
Tel: +886 2 2720 0026). The popular (and dangerously punchy spirit)
is a favourite among locals and even more so with flavours of rose,
lemon, coffee or pork floss (if you dare). Locally produced OMAR
whiskies and fruit liqueurs are fashioned into cocktails named after
songs from local indie bands, There’s the longan-based Yi Shu Jia Pi
Qi (translating to an artist’s tantrum) (NT$380) and – a favourite for
the melancholic – Wo Ba Wo De Qing Chun Gei Le Ni (I’ve given you
all my youth) (NT$350).
Don’t dismiss ZIGA ZAGA (Level 2, Grand Hyatt Taipei, No. 2,
Songshou Road, Xinyi District. Tel: +886 2 2720 1230) as another run-
of-the-mill hotel bar. It’s one of the few spots offering cocktails with
Taiwan’s famous trio – kaoliang, mijiu and shaoxiang jiu. Highlights
include the TLM, otherwise known as the Taiwanese Lemon Martini,
that’s reminiscent of how kaoliang is usually drank with a slice of
lemon and hua mei (dried plum).Bonus for oenophiles:
Wine bars are a scarcity in Taipei, but you’d get quite an extensive
wine list at the newly launched Chefs Club Taipei (Level 47, Breeze,
No. 68, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District.
Tel: +886 2 2723 9696), courtesy of Park90. The wine bar at Regent
Singapore has taken up the ambitious task of stocking the fine
dining venue with a list that spans the globe. Its international
selection is not for the sake of vanity. The restaurant revolves
around a chef residency concept, where one prolific chef – Wilfrid
Hocquet of Blue by Alain Ducasse was here in April – will take
over the kitchen for three to six months, and the list will evolve to
complement their tasting menus.Hermit’s HutBar Mood RON XinyiZIGA ZAGADraft Land