18 December 2025
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Beyond the much-anticipated list of award-winning restaurants unveiled at the launch of The MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2026, one highlight guests eagerly look forward to each year is the chance to sip a special, prize-winning cocktail from the Mekhong The Spirit Competition 2025, served exclusively at this year’s ceremony.
Held annually by Mekhong, Thailand’s iconic world-class spirit brand, the Mekhong The Spirit Competition aims to champion and elevate Thailand’s bartending scene to international standards. It also crowns a standout cocktail of the year, created to be served at The MICHELIN Guide awards ceremony. After an intense showcase of flavor, technique, and creativity, this year’s winning bartender earned the honor of presenting their champion cocktail to distinguished guests at the event.
And even if you weren’t on the guest list, you won’t miss out. The winning bartender is sharing the inspiration, concept, and creative recipe behind this award-winning drink — crafted with Mekhong’s signature Thai spiced rum — so you can shake up this celebratory cocktail at home and toast like a MICHELIN insider.
“Chok Dii Highball,” the Championship Cocktail of Mekhong The Spirit Competition 2025
Rising above a nationwide field of bartenders, Bo-Bogdan Bochkarev, a Russian bartender from The Fool Speakeasy in Phuket, claimed the top prize at the Mekhong The Spirit Competition 2025 with a cocktail built around the concept of a “Thai-style highball.” His winning creation, “Chok Dii Highball,” captured the judges’ hearts for its thoughtful balance of flavor, creativity, and storytelling — beautifully expressing Thai culture through a single glass.“When you come to Thailand, you hear the word chok dii everywhere — from celebratory toasts to everyday well-wishes,” Bochkarev said. “This cocktail is meant to be a drink of good fortune, crafted to share happiness.” At its core is Mekhong, Thailand’s iconic spiced rum, long regarded as a symbol of national pride since its founding in 1941.
Blending the spirit of Thai hospitality with a modern highball approach, Chok Dii Highball is both a toast and a blessing — one that turns a simple drink into a meaningful celebration.
“Chok Dii Highball is rich with flavors of history,” he says. The cocktail is built on the distinctive character of Mekhong Thai spiced rum, anchored by the bold intensity of mezcal and rounded out with the classic Thai balance of sour, sweet, salty, and spicy. That harmony comes from a house-made tamarind and palm sugar syrup, along with a chili-infused spirit that amplifies Mekhong’s charm.
The final flourish is a symbolic golden chocolate garnish, representing good fortune. Made from Phuket dark cocoa, soy sauce, truffle, and edible gold powder, it adds a savory umami note and extends the drink’s lingering finish.
Bochkarev adds that what truly sets the cocktail apart is his use of house-made cocoa husk soda, which gives the highball a naturally dry effervescence, lightens Mekhong’s profile, and delivers a surprisingly refreshing balance.
“The Chok Dii Highball is clean, refreshing, and unmistakably Thai,” Bochkarev says. “By blending Mekhong with balanced Thai flavors and local ingredients, this cocktail truly deserves the blessing ‘chok di’ — good luck — for every drinker.”
“Chok Dii Highball” recipe
Ingredients:
- 45 ml, Mekhong Premium Thai Spiced Rum
- 5 ml, mezcal
- 5 ml, Ancho Reyes (spicy-sweet chili liqueur)
- 45 ml, tamarind–palm sugar syrup (house-made; can be prepared at home)
- 80 ml, cocoa husk soda (house-made; can be prepared at home)
- 1 chocolate coin, for garnish
Method:
- Add Mekhong, mezcal, and Ancho Reyes to a glass.
- Pour in the tamarind–palm sugar syrup and stir to combine.
- Fill the glass with large ice cubes.
- Top with cocoa husk soda.
- Garnish with the chocolate coin of good fortune.
- Serve and enjoy.
Header image: © Mekhong, The MICHELIN Guide Thailand
