Q&A Bar mixers dive into the mystic

Bangkok’s Q&A Bar is taking customers on a “Cocktail Journey” with an extraordinary line of drinks “inspired by human preferences, technical masteries, cultural impressions, creative curiosities” and (why not?) “sacred principles”.
In a press release perhaps “inspired” by a few of those cocktails, the bar traces “the origin of lives, myths of creation and fundamental evolutions” to “13 figurative patterns created by numerous formations of circles that are symmetrically intersected and incredibly interconnected”. 
The result is the revival of 52 classic cocktails crafted from original recipes collected on the staff’s travels, in studies and in experiments.
“Since opening in September 2015, Q&A Bar has set a new standard for cocktail bars in Asia,” it says here. 

“The philosophy revolves around heritage and storytelling through fine spirits and ingredients. While most bars in Bangkok have set menus, Q&A took a different direction, offering clients chances to investigate and discover their drink preferences for different occasions.” 
“As a bar owner, I want to praise prior cocktail creations and the histories behind them in order to celebrate the everevolving face of nightlife today,” says co-owner and creative director Vudi Somboonkulavudi. 
“I want to see Bangkok’s nightlife become more tasteful, where people drink with knowledge and manners rather than just drinking to get wasted. The campaign I created is unlike just drinking in a cocktail bar – it encourages drinkers to explore 52 classic cocktails through fascinating bits of knowledge.” 
Vudi has designed a “passport book” and a set of knowledge cards to explain the drinks’ origins in a fun way.
To embark on “The Cocktail Journey”, you have to spend Bt2,000. For that, you get the passport and deck of informative playing cards, plus four drinks selected from among the set of 52. 
The 52 cocktails are grouped according to flavour, ingredients, origins and a corresponding figurative pattern. 
The circle, for example, represents “the perfect mixture”, Vudi says. 

“Although the drinks represented by the circle aren’t complicated in nature, it represents a perfect union between two ingredients.” The drinks grouped in the circle are the Martini, Horse’s Neck, B&B and Rusty Nail.
The other patterns: 
Vesica piscis is two interconnecting circles, suggesting an added layer of complexity, as in the Gibson – a traditional Martini served with a pickled onion instead of an olive – and the Harvard, Caipiroska and Kangaroo.
The equilateral triangle has a strong foundation and three perfectly balanced ingredients, as in the Cuba Libra, Americano, Alaska and Dubliner.
The pentagon also has a sturdy base on which unforgettable cocktails can be built, such as the Old Fashioned, Rob Roy, Vieux Carre and Toronto.
The pentagram holds cultural significance and places cocktails in special moments of history, including the Tequila Sunrise, Mary Pickford, Pina Colada and Cosmopolitan.
The hexagon implies regional dominance, trust, influence and popularity, as do the Mojito, Brooklyn, Caipirinha and Mint Julep.
The Seven Days of Creation require a repetitive combination with entirely fresh results each time, as found in the Pisco Sour, Dark ’N’ Stormy, Corn ’N’ Oil and Moscow Mule.
The Seed of Life signifies “an accumulative spirit and multiple input” combining to form new life, a suggested by the Singapore Sling, Red Snapper, Brandy Crusta and Satan’s Whiskers, all of which have seven or eight ingredients.
The Flower of Life has the symbol of birth and rebirth, and versatile cocktails too can be reincarnated with fresh twists, as in the Manhattan, De La Louisiane, Southside and Bobby Burns.
The Egg of Life represents knowledge derived from experience, and El Floridita Daiquiri, King Cole, Pegu Club and Claridge are all wellknown drinks from legendary bars. 
The Tree of Life invokes the joy of being fully conscious and the relationship between the conscious and subconscious. The Negroni, Sazerac, Corpse Reviver and Long Island Iced Tea all pack a punch and “could possibly take you to unexpected places”.
The Fruit of Life suggests citrus, once thought to be the fruit of the gods, and the orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit that go into the Gimlet, Daiquiri, Margarita and Lemon Drop.
Metatron’s Cube can be anything that extends beyond limitation and thus signifies cocktails of mysterious heritage. The Blue Blazer was the original flaming cocktail. The Bloody Mary, El Diablo and Rosita have their own ways of dazzling.
Find out more about the journey at (02) 664 1445, contact@qnabar.com or www.QNABar.com.