Bar Trigona: Life Cycle Of A Fruit

Bar Trigona | Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur | Food For Thought

Bar Trigona: Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur

Bar Trigona at the Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur has recently won Ketel One’s Sustainable Bar at the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2020, and they have continued in that stride with their latest menu, the Life Cycle Of A Fruit. The concept is simple, to completely utilise a fruit so that nothing goes to waste, not even the peels.

The new menu at Bar Trigona sees them taking what they already do best to an even more elevated level, where once the focus was on the bees, it how now expanded, telling the story of the life cycle of a fruit. From “fresh” to “overripe” each stage of the fruits’ life is used differently, from sour, to just sweet to bitter, homage is paid every step of the way, through distillation, infusion and fermentation to ensure that nothing goes to waste and is used up as much as possible.

Ashish Sharma | Life Cycle Of Fruits | Bar Trigona | Food For Thought

“Nearly one-third of perfectly edible fruit ends up being discarded because of its appearance. We want to minimise wastage by redefining the aesthetics of fruit. There is something on the menu from everything at different stages of the fruit, from fresh to overripe. There are 4 sections, each created by one of our bartenders, Mandarin Orange by Shawn, Jackfruit by Marcus, Watermelon by Joe and Mango by Emirul. Each section of the menu has 3 cocktails and 1 non-alcoholic cocktail.” — Ashish Sharma, Head Bartender of Bar Trigona, Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur.

Sunset Margarita | Life Cycle Of Fruits | Bar Trigona | Food For Thought

Sunset Margarita

Tequila, aperol, lemon, sugar, watermelon soda and vanilla salt

With the colour of a sunset, the Sunset Margarita is quite light on the palate from the refreshing watermelon soda, with the tinge of vanilla salt adding that balance of contrast. This cocktail has elements of bitterness from the aperol, but is still full of flavour.

Mango Overload | Life Cycle Of Fruits | Bar Trigona | Food For Thought

Mango Overload

Dark rum, cognac, bourbon, yellow chartreuse, mango puree, mango honey and lemon

The Mango Overload had dark and deep overripe flavours, with mango puree and mango honey used. The spirit forward cocktail definitely packs a bit of a punch, with its fermented honey, and is less sweet than you would expect.

Together | Life Cycle Of Fruits | Bar Trigona | Food For Thought

Together

Cognac, aperol, beer, lemon and jackfruit syrup

The jackfruit flavoured cocktail is a combination of sweet and bitter, and as animated bartender Marcus Kwok very dramatically explains, describes a relationship. The cocktail has elements of sweetness from the cognac and bitterness from the beer, with the aperol and jackfruit’s bittersweet flavours running throughout.

Vespop | Life Cycle Of Fruits | Bar Trigona | Food For Thought

Vespop

Vodka, vanilla vermouth, mandarin orange liqueur, corn silk bitters and mandarin orange caviar

This twist on a vesper is one of the stronger cocktails on the menu, so do not be deceived by its stature. The cocktail has that sweetness from the mandarin flavour, with corn silk bitters adding an interesting tinge. The mandarin orange caviar adds texture to the concoction, making it fun to bite. A definite must try.

Mandonalds + Hi+C | Life Cycle Of Fruits | Bar Trigona | Food For Thought

ManDonald’s & Hi-C

Mandarin, distilled truffle fries, tomato ketchup and chilli oil

A non-alcoholic cocktail, the ManDonald’s invokes flavours we may associate with a certain fast food joint, combined with a dose of vitamin C. The distilled truffle fries gives it that distinct flavour without any of the grease on the palate, with tomato ketchup and chilli oil in homage to the Bloody Mary, this virgin cocktail is definitely a refined take on a well know classic.


Bar Trigona
Level 6
Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur
145, Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur
+603 2382 8888 

| PHOTOGRAPHY: NZ PHANG & TRISHA TOH |  WEBSITE: BAR TRIGONA |

Nicholas Ng

Nicholas Ng is a restaurant critic and drinks writer and is the editor of independent publication Food For Thought. He has been a freelance journalist for the 15 years and has previously worked as a lawyer and in digital marketing. He currently is the Principal Consultant of A Thought Full Consultancy, a food and beverage marketing consultancy.