Caorunn Gin takes over Chinatown bars

Chinatown’s new bars worked together with three bartenders slinging drinks at each others’ venues for the recentChinatown Bar Takeover. Head bartenders Kelvin Lee (Her House), Yap Siew Mun (Kapitan Haus) and Haniff Yon (Rust KL) served their own special menus of three drinks each inspired by the food and history of Chinatown.

The gin-centric menu features Scottish gin maker Caorunn’s three expressions, made up of the classic version, Scottish Raspberry Gin and the Highland Strength which packs a stiff 54% ABV. The specials are available at their respective bars located within short distances from each other until end June.

Lee said his drinks – the Roasted Chestnut Raspberry Cup, Bakkwa Hero and Green Dragon – were built around syrups integrating foods sold in the neighbourhood, including Petaling Street’s roasted chestnuts, honey glaze bakkwa and dried bamboo leaves.

Yap’s three creations are Air Mata Kucing highball, Red Light District sour, and the Kapitantini; an apple-infused twist on the Martini. Located along Kwai Chai Hong on Lorong Panggung, Kapitan Haus’ Red Light District drink is a nod to the area’s history of hosting brothels.

Haniff highlights local fruits in the Farang, Dirty Pandan, and Cheese & Pepper. The drinks are made using guava juice and lychee cordial (Farang), pandan vermouth and papaya pickle cordial (Dirty Pandan), and cantaloupe cordial with a head of mozzarella foam (Cheese & Pepper).

During the launch, Kwai Chai Hong co-founder Zeen Chang, said the boom of visitors since the alley was cleaned up into the tourist destination it is now has spilled over to the neighbourhood. She added that she was proud to see the area’s reinvigoration, with many new cafes and bars opening.

Her House opened in January, while Kapitan Haus was rebranded as its own bar last May. The newest was Rust KL which opened last month.

Jane Rai, founder of Free Walk Kuala Lumpur Unscripted, who was also at the launch on June 16, said Chinatown had seen constant change since she began running tours there in the 1990s.

Her House, Kapitan Haus and Rust KL will be running the menu till the end of June 2022.

From press release