Page 61 - #51 English

Taipei, Taiwan

I’m happy. I love great bars with talented bartenders, but
I’m even happier when they happen to be in a beautiful space. East
End, at the Proverbs Hotel in Taipei, is exactly that. The cocktail
menu here is beautifully designed and organized into drink
categories so it’s easy to spot what kind of flavour combinations
will suit you. I start with something from their signatures list:
Sicilia Breeze (Tanqueray No. Ten, Carpano Dry, blood orange
purée, Campari, and Regan’s No. 6 orange bitters). It’s fruit -
forward and refreshing, with the bitterness of the Campari
bringing out the grapefruit and citrus character of the Tanqueray
No. Ten gin. It’s a beautifully designed drink.
The classics portion of the cocktail menu includes a list
of Old Fashioned - style drinks, both classic and modern. I opt for
one made with longan infused Bourbon and chocolate bitters,
which has just the right about of sweet to balance the strength
of the Bourbon and complexity of the chocolate and Angostura
bitters.
Looking on the well - stocked shelves behind the beautiful
bar, I noticed a bottle of rhubarb bitters. I ask Tony, our talented
barkeep, if he could make me a beverage from it, and he asks me
what flavour combinations I like. What finally gets served to me
actually is very similar to my favourite cocktail of all time - The
Last Word. This kind of ability to match a customer’s request
with their preferences to present a final product that is similar
to a previous positive experience is magic, in my perspective.
It will definitely leave the guest feeling great.
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