Putting aside the discussions about the root of gin, it’s been a long time since the gin craze came out of Scotland and Britain and spread to the world. Gin, which is usually used in Turkey for cocktails, has a culture on its own.
Gin, thanks to different grains, fruits and aromatics plants used in its preparation and distilling, is an alcoholic drink that has different alternatives and a complicated taste. That’s why especially in Britain, the world’s biggest gin producer and exporter, gin is usually consumed neat or with tonic and served with the addition of cucumber, lemon, cardamom or pomegranate depending on the type of gin.
Even though gin culture is not so widespread in Turkey, we will get you acquainted with this culture and talk about a venue that will inspire you in this article. Now let’s visit Teen of Thailand in Bangkok which made the Best 50 Bars in Asia in 2019 list and evaluate the elements which differentiated this venue and made it popular in Thailand where gin is not so popular.
Target Mass
Teens of Thailand is a gin bar which was opened in Bangkok in 2015. We said that gin was not a very popular drink in Thailand. But the venue appeals not to the general population of Bangkok but a hip and trendy crowd, tourists who visit the city and the expats in town thanks to its location and decoration.
Location
Teens of Thailand, is located in Bangkok’s Chinatown area in Soi Nana, just 10 minutes away from the iconic Yaowarat Avenue. Even though Soi Nana has become more popular these days, a couple of years ago it only had a couple of bars frequented by cool Bangkok kids. You can think of this place as the older version of Karaköy.
Decoration
Another element that makes the venue popular is its concept and decoration. We can start talking about the decoration from its wide and handcrafted door which makes you want to take photographs as soon as you arrive.
As soon as you step inside, you find yourself in a fairyland which smells of aromatic herbs that is dimly lit and decorated with an antique piano, bar stools, wing chairs and many other decoration elements.
Even though Teens of Thailand was once a soup house before it was turned into a bar and has a general atmosphere of a warehouse, paintings of local artists on the walls and posters of old Thai movies gives the place a boutique gallery feel.
The reddish light beams used at the venue gives the place depth and makes customers feel as if they’ve entered a movie scene.
The left corner across the door is the bar, where the real magic happens. As soon as you walk in, you can see the wide array of gins the place offers and witness bartenders expertly jiggle their shakers.
So far, so good. There is no doubt that this place is trendy. An alluring atmosphere has been achieved with the decoration. But if the service and menu doesn’t match up with this first impression it won’t be enough to guarantee returning customers. So let’s check out Teens of Thailand’s service and menu.
Service
When you enter the bar, you are taken to your table by an employee. After that, menus and roasted chestnuts are brought to your table. Roasted chestnuts are a good touch since they remind you that the bar is in Chinatown.
As you nibble on your chestnuts and examine the menu you can get information about the gin from your server. From our experience we can safely say that the servers know enough about gin and offer accurate advice to customers.
Menu
Now let’s get to the final and vital point: the menu! Teens of Thailand offers its customers many gin alternatives that are hard to find within the borders of Thailand. They use high quality and aromatic tonics in the gin & tonic cocktails they made with gin they import from Britain, Spain and many other different countries.
It’s not fair to say that the menu of Teens of Thailand only has a wide selection of gin. The venue also makes special cocktails using unique Thai aromatic plants and Thai Tea This is a great method in terms of offering signature drinks for a venue.
Another thing that attracts attention on the menu is that the venue offers its customers many other alternatives besides gin. Even though this is evaluated as a negative from time to time it stands out as an element that supports the bar’s concept.
Finally
As we said in the beginning, gin culture is not so widespread in our country. But you can use this to your advantage by offering different gin and gin cocktails at your venue. How, you might ask. You can immediately start working on some special and aromatic gin alternatives that go well with your concept. If this seems a bit difficult for you, you can organize a Gin happy Hour where you can serve your customers gin & tonics made with different gin types.
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