The best-kept secret Rum away together Creative names, curated cocktails

RUM AWAY TOGETHER

Saigon’s first bar dedicated to the West Indies spirit, Rum, FAVELA promises a vibrant and spirited ambience which pays homage to three pillars of favela life: family, hustle and rum. The bar’s warm and rustic interior makes for the perfect venue for a bar specialising in such a warming spirit while the dim lighting creates a cozy and inviting atmosphere where one can easily forget about life outside of FAVELA’s four walls.

The menu boasts an impressively lengthy assortment of handpicked rums from around the world and with over thirty different rums to sample, FAVELA is surely a bar which will have patrons of rum returning again and again. Whether you feel like enjoying rum from Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Guatemala or staying local with home-brewed Vietnamese rum, FAVELA has you covered.

What’s more, the rum-based Signature Cocktails such as the “You Can’t Escape Favela” featuring rum, whisky islay mist peated, early grey tea and cordial perfectly encapsulate the creative spirit that underpins Favela. 1st Floor 25 Ho Tung Mau, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Tel: +84 764 461 816

THE BEST-KEPT SECRET

Hidden, bespoke and brilliant, Blanche Saigon is a true speakeasy whereby guests must exercise their skills of deduction to find this wonder. Located above a Ministop and accessed via an unassuming elevator, the journey to arriving at Blanche Bar + Dessert only adds to its unique charm. One in the venue, guests are sure to be impressed by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Mac Thi Buoi as well as the bar team’s unrivalled service and the captivating test-kitchen style counter.

The extensive drinks menu playfully blends sweet and savoury to create mesmerising beverages that showcase the mixologists’ mastery. The cocktails’ names are as creative as their flavours and the ‘Slave to Nicotine’ fuses whisky with sous vide pandan, fermented apricot, absinthe and Angostura bitters. With its contemporary style, decadent desserts and forwardthinking cocktail menu, it comes as no surprise that Blanche is a firm favourite of cocktail connoisseurs. Floor 6th, 16 Mac Thi Buoi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Tel: +84 28 6266 3535

CREATIVE NAMES, CURATED COCKTAILS

Rabbit Hole identifies itself as an avant-garde classic cocktail bar and its radical menu and uniquely experimental interior mean it lives up to this identity. The bar radiates unrivalled levels of sophistication and features elegant lighting, avant-garde artwork and a beautiful grand piano, making it the perfect venue when it opens its doors to live bands.

The cocktails are all exceptionally presented and boast magically unique names that reflect the quirky nature and fun-spirit of Rabbit Hole. With “The Diplomat”, guests can enjoy a citrusy kick thanks to the combination of orange bitters with Rosso vermouth, dry vermouth and maraschino liquor. Cocktails like the “Zaza” and the “Rusty Nail” harmoniously couple just two ingredients, respectively gin with dubonnet and whisky with Drambuie, yet still promise heaven in a glass. 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Ben Nge Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Tel: +84 28 3823 4896