The inaugural Asia’ 50 Best Bars 2021 brought some interesting shake-ups to the list we know so well, with three Malaysian bars placing at number 47. This year sees the first-time entry of Three X Co., an oriental themed cocktail bar located in the heart of Bangsar, serving an eclectic mix of modern and classics. We speak to Angeline Tan, one of the founders of the bar about their win.
Three X Co.: Oriental Cocktail Bar
Three X Co. has been around for about 4 years now, with serving not only interesting oriental themed cocktails, but also some of the best classic cocktails you will find in Kuala Lumpur. The bar was founded by 3 friends, Daniel Gunawan, Wong Wai Hung and Angeline Tan, with David Hans leading the bar programme. The bar has been making waves locally and internationally with their stellar lineup of guest bartenders from some of the best in the industry, ensuring a great experience at each guest shift.
Congratulations on Three X Co. placing in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021. Can you tell us what this means to you?
Thank you! We are very thrilled and humbled. It’s especially meaningful that we receive this award during this difficult time.
Can you tell us a bit about Three X Co and its philosophy?
Three X Co is founded by three friends, Daniel Gunawan, Wai Hung and Angeline, together with David Hans who is the Giffard West Cup 2017 Global Champion. Our aim is to have a quaint place with good cocktails and try to grow the pool of cocktail drinkers in the country. With that in mind, we actively conduct Masterclass, guest shifts to bring excitement to the industry as well as to our customers. We are primarily a local oriental themed bar.
Can you tell us a bit about the cocktails programme at Three X Co.?
Three X Co’s cocktails are categorised into two, Cockytails Signature Series, featuring cocktails that are local and oriental inspired such as those from the childhood memories of the founders as we try to hang on to our youth. We recommend you try these cocktails.
Eastern Poem – Ginseng rootlets infused gin cocktail with Pei Pa Kou and East Imperial Yuzu tonic water. Pei Pa Kou is a traditional Chinese cough syrup using herbs and honey that most Malaysian grow up with. Almost like an oriental style gin and tonic.
Balik Pulau – A clarified milk cocktail using Hendrick’s gin and local Penang forgotten fruit – white nutmeg. It is inspired by the older time where our grandparents chew betel nut wraps. “Balik Pulau” is a Malay word meaning “return to island”, which is a small, secluded hilltop place in Penang island.
With the Inner Circle’s List, we feature classic cocktails with a modern twist. Some of our more popular ones are: –
Angers Potion – A cocktail inspired from the classic Grasshopper cocktail by using local watermelon to balance the sweetness from the chocolate and mint taste to create a refreshing palate. The name pays homage to the place Angers in France where David won his Giffard West Cup Global final in 2017.
Our Gentlemen Speak – A cocktail inspired by the classic cocktail Manhattan, using Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon with Mancino Bianco vermouth, Bigallet China-China and bitters to bring about a more layered profile such as cinnamon, vanilla and orange note.
Your bar is known for its impeccable classic cocktails. Can you tell us a bit about David Hans and his training?
We aim to have mastery on classic cocktails as most contemporary cocktails are inspired from them. David learned about classic cocktails when he was doing his bartending apprenticeship at the E&O Heritage Hotel Penang. There were many British long stay visitors and they will order only classic cocktails such as Old Fashioned, Martini, etc… David would have to make those drinks and will more than often get it not quite right 🙂 The customers will come back the next evening and order the same drink… again and again and to the extent they will “teach” and “critique” him on how to do it well. These customers soon became friends and shared their drinking stories during their travel and pique his curiosity into the vast world of cocktails.
Then there was Ben Ng, a veteran in Malaysia bar industry. Ben was the one that urged the then very young David to focus on his bartending career and told him to be grounded and learn the basics well. With that in mind, David began to research more on the craft and he went to Taiwan for few months to study bartending and it was there that he was exposed to the meticulous and precise style of Japanese bartending. With the collective experience above, he honed his fundamentals – knowledge, technique and classic cocktails.
Tell us something about Three X Co. that people might not know about?
Many people seem to think that because we are in an affluent neighbourhood and in a mall, we are not accessible to all. For those that experience our bar will know that we have a very friendly and grounded team. Our regulars call us “a quaint bar where people make friends and friends gather”.
Do you mind sharing a cocktail recipe?
Eastern Poem
- 45ml of Chrysanthemum infused gin
- 5ml of Pei Pa Koa ( 琵琶膏)
- Top up with East Imperial Yuzu tonic water
What are 3 must try cocktails at Three X Co?
Eastern Poem
Balik Pulau
Chocolat Fashioned
How has the Covid affected your bar and what message do you want to share with peers in the industry?
It is a very difficult time for most people and not just the bar industry. We just have to make the most out of the given situation. When we first started this bar, our industry mentor CK Khor from Coley gave us a very good advise – build your regulars. And we have consistently kept that in mind and we are very fortunate that when we pivoted to cocktail deliveries, our customers have been very supportive. We also try to keep our bar top of people’s minds by being active in social media and that is where we launched our DIY Cocktail @ Home IGTV series to share simple recipes for our followers to make at home.
Can you name us 3 other bars that people should know more about in Malaysia?
Bar Trigona
Coley Cocktail Bar
JungleBird
For our previous reviews, see Three X Co.
| PHOTOGRAPHY: NZ PHANG | WEBSITE: THREE X CO. |