There’s nothing quite like a reason to get merry. Bali’s venues are tempting us with better and better cocktails, at very happy prices.
40 Thieves
If you can’t find 40 Thieves then you are definitely not in the know. This is one of the grooviest cocktail bars in town run by a crazy cat, Shah Dillon, who loves his cocktails. He’s not shy for whisky either. Being just doors away from one of our other favourite speakeasy-style bars, Baker Street Social, makes this a busy area for those who believe their drinking habits are nobody’s business but their own. Except that you will probably feature on their social media because they are very social at 40 Thieves. Tuesday to Thursday the cocktails are 150k for 2, and on Friday and Saturday night from 10-12midnight, 2-for-1 cocktails are offered. It’s perfect if like me you aren’t staying up late. Only problem is that as 40 Thieves fills up and the music starts to build, this is a damn hard place to leave.
Tel: +6287862267657 Yak Map U.3
Fat Gajah and Arang Sate Bar
Is this the longest happy hour in Bali? When you start ordering your second jug of icy, tart margaritas you know you’re probably in trouble but you are beyond caring. Chef Agung Nugroho (god rest his soul) always had a flair for cocktails and in both his venues, Arang Sate Bar in Ubud and Fat Gajah in Seminyak, he loved nothing better than a lock in. So let’s celebrate in his honour, it’s what he would have wanted. Every day from 12-6pm cocktails flow at just 58k++. Order up by the jug to save even more. Thankfully at both venues, great food is never far away. Luckily it’s coming into rainy season and what is better than a very long lunch that involves many cocktails. Go on, you know you want to.
Tel: +6285101688212 www.fatgajah.com Yak Map T.9
Lacalaca and Lacalita
There’s some crazy shit doing down at both of these crazy, colourful Mexican venues and that’s the way they like it. If Margaritas and Mojitos are your cocktail of choice then you might want to hit one of the luscious Laca venues (there’s a new one about to open in Ubud folks, Lacasita is on the way). Caipioskas and Sangria also feature on the list, the perfect foil for a large plate of quesadillas or some of their tantalising tacos. Every Sunday they celebrate the classic Bloody Mary with 2-for-1 all day until sunset. Make it fiery if Saturday night was a bit of a killer, the spicier the better.
Tel: +6282247312218, +6282247312217 www.lacalongtime.com Yak Map T.8
Winehouse
When we say that a glass of wine is often a very big indulgence, wine lovers will all be nodding as they read. The Winehouse introduced their famous happy hours a couple of years ago and then it all went south and we were left wondering where the hell our top shelf Pinot Noir was coming from, where to find that steely little Reisling you fell in love with last year, or where we simply get a properly handled quality wine by the glass without having to sell an organ? Join the enthusiastic crowd every Friday at the Winehouse where you will find a range of hand-picked wines by the glass offered at fabulous prices from 5-7pm every Friday. At 2-for-1, this Happy hour is the salve for your wine loving soul.
Tel: +62 361 737217 www.winehousebali.com Yak Map V.4
Settimo Cielo
You might want to sit down for this sophisticated happy hour where the canapés flow as freely as the delicious cocktails. This heavenly little neighborhood Italian restaurant, Settimo Cielo, has introduced Apericena to give grown ups a chance to mix and mingle and indulge in some classic cocktails for just Rp77k. It’s a lovely Italian-themed affair offering a delightful mix of rustic pleasures and quiet sophistication. If you’re easing into Friday, planning a lovely dinner somewhere or simply want to indulge in some cocktails and conversation, this is a very relaxed, easy way to spend Friday night. The canapés come regularly enough to threaten to spoil your dinner but it’s easy enough to slip into one of their comfortable booths and order a main course without having to go anywhere.
Tel: +62 361 4741117 www.settimocielobali.com Yak Map R.5
Kiln
When cocktails are part of your DNA, you want to be able to get them out fast. Kiln has introduced Bali’s first cocktail tap and put four majorly good cocktails on their Tappy Hour menu and they are all deliciously different. From 4-7pm every day, at just 50k++ they are not to be underestimated. My personal favourite is the Piña Colada. Rum infused with pineapple and coconut water, is released from the tap looking slightly cloudy before it settles as a clear drink, then topped with frothy coconut meringue, which is burnished before being delivered. It’s a fabulous cocktail. The ‘gin and chronic’ could only have been invented by an Englishman (take a bow Albie); gin is topped with a homemade tonic infused with black lime, clove and nutmeg. The ‘mule’ is peppered with fresh young ginger juice and the fourth, a white Sangria, is made for those who like their cocktails a little floral. Combined with their delicious wraps on Wednesday, also just 50k++, there’s lots to like here, good music, good food, good times.
Tel: +62 361 4733054 www.kilnbali.com Yak Map N.6
