Third Volume

A peek into our third Volume - the result of months of research, trials & diving deep into what the Island of Bali has to share.

Harnessing on old techniques to bring out key flavours from local ingredients was our north star for this volume, and it makes for a wonderfully rewarding process. Examples of said ingredients and utilising them with established techniques such pressure infusing a local sweet pineapple - called Nanas Madu locally - with Campari in a sous vide after it’s been blackened on a pan. Or using the iconic and wonderfully aromatic Cempaka magnolia flower - a sacred flower synonymous with ceremony and offerings - infused in a rich sugar tincture to provide smells that are harmonious with the Balinese landscape.

We’ve also been playing with Kemangi a lot - a herb that is eaten in most regional dishes on the island, not dissimilar to lemon basil - blending with spent milk curds byproduct from cocktail allows us to use every element produced in the bar and have zero waste. If you come into the bar early during daily preparations it will be alive with the ashy scent of freshly squeezed ‘Jeruk’ - a local green tangerine that is unique and unmistakably Balinese, both sweet and savoury from the volcanic soil it grows in.

East often meets West in our prep space, as you’ll find in one of our signature cocktails - a Beurre Noisette fat washed Arak Selaka Ning - a local white spirit made from Snake Fruit, a Balinese fruit delicacy. We even try to recreate dishes in the form of cocktails such as a local corn & coconut dessert called Jagung Urap.

An important part to all these processes is not to re-invent flavours with western techniques emerging from bar trends, but rather harness the never ending list of flavours on our doorstep, to create a nod to the senses be it taste, aroma, or nostalgia. With such amazing ingredients available, we are propelled to keep creating, changing and re-imaging what it means to have a neighbourhood bar.