Ubud, Bali’s cultural capital, has recently made its mark on the foodie map with a sustainable cuisine revolution spearheaded by Locavore, just voted best restaurant in Indonesia on an influential list of 50 best restaurants in Asia. Now Locavore’s Indonesian and Dutch chefs, Ray Adriansyah and Eelke Plasmeijer have extended their food philosophy to the world of cocktails by creating the Night Rooster bar, just across the street from the restaurant (there is no sign outside).
The cosy lounge at the top of a steep narrow staircase is a modern take on a colonial planter’s club, with sofas and armchairs made from recycled tropical wood. The bar itself resembles an abstract collage, constructed from scores of pieces of ironwood.
Don’t come here expecting a classic martini or negroni: Night Rooster showcases the talents of Locavore’s Balinese barman Raka Ambarawan, whose intriguing cocktail list features 10 changing drinks based on seasonal local fruits and vegetables. There is a small copper still on the bar to distil rice wine and ferment fruit, while he also uses his homemade vermouth and bitters, gin infused with exotic jackfruit, fruit vinegar and pickles, plus herbs and spices from Locavore’s garden, such as turmeric, cardamom, ginger and fragrant kemangi (lemon basil) leaves.
An example of one of his seasonal cocktail is the bloody sour, made in the few months when tart acidic local blood berries known as boni are available. A classic whiskey sour is suddenly transformed as Raka adds grilled beetroot powder and wild flowers to the boni juice and Bulleit rye whiskey; even the beaten egg white comes from a traditional kampung village chicken.
Ashes, his signature cocktail, is pure theatre and totally delicious. Dehydrated fruits are blowtorched and dropped into the shaker along with rye whiskey and vodka, plus a homemade wine fortified with brandy and spices. A molasses cracker adds a necessary dose of sweetness, then a pine cone is set alight to add an intriguing perfume before drinking. This being Locavore, there are also some delicious bar snacks, such as spicy sambal confit chicken, brandade fritters and devilled eggs.
• Cocktails 130,000 Indonesian rupiah (around £8), 10b Jalan Dewi Sita, Ubud, locavore.co.id/nightrooster
