Brought to you by Jon Lee and the team behind award-winning bar Penrose, and located in a former bank vault in the basement of Kuala Lumpur's Moxy Hotel, Lavantha has actually been open for about a year, but never really launched a proper official menu until now.
There was an unofficial menu during this time, but its drinks skewed a little too close to the ones at Penrose.
With the newly launched menu, however, Lavantha has finally found its own identity, beyond just ‘Penrose, but in a bigger space’.
Titled ‘A Library Of Modern Classics’, this menu takes you on a deep dive into the world of classic cocktails.
Lavantha’s bar team has come up with a whopping 120 drinks, comprising their own unique takes on classic cocktails, and categorised according to 10 different base spirits – specifically Tanqueray 10 gin, Belvedere vodka, Martell Noblige cognac, Ron Zacapa 23 rum, Iichiko Saiten shochu, Solisca Reposado Cristalino tequila, Los Siete Misterios Doba Yej mezcal, Michter’s bourbon, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Scotch whisky, and Perrier-Jouet Gran Brut champagne.
This allows the bar to take a ''revolutionary approach to bottle service', in which a guest can purchase a spirit bottle, and the bar team will use it to craft cocktails from the menu (each bottle generally serves 11 to 14 portions of cocktails, according to a press release).
Each cocktail is made to order, with no pre-batching, clarifications, redistilling, or any other modern techniques that are now commonly seen in many newer bars
“We want Lavantha to be a place where people can come and enjoy these classic cocktails that are made in front of you,” Lee said during the recent media launch.
With such an extensive lineup of drinks, it can be a little daunting to go through the menu.
Still, when in doubt, go for the tried and true ones like Dry Martini, Old Fashioned, Paloma, Manhattan, Whiskey Sour, or Margarita, all of which will have that distinct Lavantha touch.
Even a Cosmopolitan here hits different, made with a house-made pomegranate syrup that rights the balance of the drink while still maintaining its signature pink hue.
We managed to taste 30 of the 120 drinks during the media launch, and most of them were excellent, from the familiar ones like Lychee Martini and Jungle Bird, to slightly more obscure ones like Midnight Stinger and Plakus Nectar.
The Iichiko Saiten shochu drinks were particularly interesting because of the unique flavour shochu gives to classics that don’t normally use it as a base. (The Pinapple Saketini was especially lovely.)
The Ron Zacapa rum drinks were a bit more straightforward but not less tasty (theres' a pretty good Jungle Bird too).
Over to agave, where Siete Misterios Mezcal brought quite a few bangers (Pulque is my favourite highball drink on the menu); while the tequila drinks leaned into more familiar ground, though the Solisca Reposado Cristalino does make a stunning Paloma.
Surprisingly, the Belvedere Vodka section had some of the more complex twists – that Cosmopolitan, especially, is a great twist on a much-maligned classic.
Considering the number of classics that use gin, the Tanqueray No.10 section was quite restrained, focusing on balance over familiarity. The Lychee Martini was a standout, but my pick from this list would be the perfectly balanced Aviation.
I also love a good bourbon classic, and the ones here use the highly rated Michter’s Bourbon, making the drinks stand out more, even the more obscure ones like the Aztec here.
Champagne classics are underrated, so it was good to see it get a section here too, with Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut.
The Kir Royale was a berry good drink, but twisting the champagne and absinthe classic Death In The Afternoon with kiwi was worth dying in the afternoon for.
Personally though, it was the cognac drinks using Martell Noblige drinks that were the standouts for me – the Fine A'Leau is a fizzy drink that is quite the crowd pleaser and the C'est Pomme was a lovely apple-tinged tipple.
My personal favourite, however, has to be the Corpse Revivor #6, Lee’s own original creation and a homage to the classic “hair of the dog” cocktail.
The combination of Martell Noblige, fino sherry, blackberry and figs makes for a rich, spirited drink that brings out the fruitiness of the cognac perfectly.
The drink itself is nothing like the better known #1 and #2 versions though. “The making of the #6 follows the same ethos as how a Corpse Revivor is made - we just changed the ingredients,” Lee explained.
“There is no real definition of what a cocktail is anymore. I named it Corpse Revivor #6 because it doesn’t exist on the Internet, and six is a good number for me personally!”
In a way, that pretty much sums up what Lavantha’s new identity is now – great new takes with on old classics guided by a firm understanding of how flavours work in cocktails, compiled into one impressive ‘library of modern classics’.
Lavantha is one of the participating bars at the upcoming Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Week, and will be hosting China's Asian Flush bar for a guest shift on May 3, 8pm; as well as the KLCW closing party at 11pm that same night.
