Congratulations to Suwincha "Chacha" Singsuwan of Bangkok Supper Club, the 2024 MICHELIN Guide New York Exceptional Cocktails Award Winner!
With two decades of experience making cocktails, Chacha has forged her own unique style that delivers three layers of aroma, complementing the layered cuisine of Chef Max Wittawat. Inspired by late night Bangkok fine dining, the restaurant has a cocktail menu full of complex, yet focused drinks. A favorite is the Fish Sauce cocktail which shatters expectations by being both savory and subtle.
Learn more about Chacha’s journey in the industry and her favorite drinks below. Cheers!
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How were you introduced to the world of cocktails?
Oh, I've been making cocktails for 19 years. It's my first career—I never had any other. When I was 18 years old, I was sharing a house with four other bartenders back home in Bangkok. This is the only thing I know how to do in life, making cocktails.
How has your approach to cocktails evolved over the years?
Back home in Thailand, we have a lot of fruit. We eat whole fruit, but we don't press it or drink it. So, at the beginning, I was leaning more toward spirit-forward cocktails. I was very good at it. I once won a competition hosted by Campari. I learned the perfect ratio of adding dilutions into cocktails. Dilution plays a big part in the cocktail.Today, the way that I create the cocktail is through three main dynamics. It's very structured. First, you get the aroma, and then you get the second aroma from the taste of the flavors, and then the aftertaste needs to have aroma as well.
On your menu, how do we see aromas featured?
I've been developing the Truffled Pandan since 2015, using gin, truffle oil, apple juice infused with coffee and thyme, and pandan. It manipulates your mind. The first note is a truffle, but the coffee comes in and cuts that straight away. When you drink it, you don’t actually smell it. The coffee is more pronounced, but your mind remembers the truffle.
What’s your ideal meal and pairing?
At Bangkok Supper Club, we have the Smokey Milk cocktail. Gin, sake, lychee, and clarified milk. That one is refreshing, quite low on acidity and sourness. It's well balanced. That one pairs very well with all the small dishes that we have.To pair with large plates like pork jowl or curry, go for something bigger, like a martini with tequila, sake, and cucumber. The dynamic in terms of flavor and aroma is quite big,
What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?
A simple lemonade.Also, at Bangkok Supper Club, one thing that everyone loves is the Beets ‘n’ Cream non-alcohol. It’s with mango and honey, and I implement a cream cheese float into it.
Do you have any sustainable initiatives with the cocktail program?
We work very closely with the kitchen. The kitchen has byproduct that's really good.One drink, Pak Chee, is vodka and a handful of cilantro from the kitchen. With the Guava Nam Jim cocktail, it’s made with fish sauce, garlic, chili, coriander, and trout roe. For the Fish Sauce cocktail, I use fish sauce and gin, because gin has more aroma, cabbage broth, lemon, and clarified milk to round out the cocktail. It's more like a cocktail, not like drinking the food.
What’s the biggest misconception about mixology or cocktails in general?
When I moved here, everybody expected me, the bartender, to drink a lot. But I get red. With my friends, we go out for hot pot. We drink occasionally.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a position like yours?
Be consistent, pushing forward. You have to do everything for 90 days. That's good practice. When you pass 90 days, it will become a habit.Hero image: Sippakorn Ponpayong / Suwincha "Chacha" Singsuwan
