KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 — A walk through the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel leads to a set of gilded doors, behind which the dazzling Bar Trigona awaits.
Inside, head bartender and beverage manager Rohan Matmary leads the team in crafting cocktails driven by the bar’s “farm-to-glass” philosophy.
After all, the signature honey from Trigona stingless bees, known as madu kelulut in Malay, is at the heart of the bar’s offerings.
Since opening in 2018, the award-winning bar has earned numerous accolades, including Malaysia’s Best Bar from 2020 to 2023 within Asia’s 50 Best Bars, 36th place on Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2024, and the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu award in 2022.
Its latest menu, Colour Me Curious 2.0, features single-origin produce from local farming partners, expanded uses of Trigona honey, and a significant low-ABV (alcohol by volume) and spirit-free section.
Malay Mail sat down with Rohan Matmary to talk about all this and the growing cocktail scene in Kuala Lumpur.
Trigona honey ‘caviar’ being portioned out for an order of Bloom, made with Herradura Blanco tequila, pink dragonfruit, ginger beer, Trigona honey liqueur and Trigona honey caviar. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
What’s the buzz?
Matmary: When we opened this bar, we wanted the world to discover – through Bar Trigona – what Malaysia has to offer, which is so unique.
We decided to invest in that idea, and one of the biggest investments we made was partnering with our farming team, led by Dino, an urban farmer.
We also didn’t want to lose the cultural significance of madu kelulut, so we made a conscious decision to keep the farms in their natural habitat. All our hives are in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan — we have around 3,000 now. The idea is to expand production, to make and sell more honey.
Over the past seven years, we’ve started supplying honey to restaurants and bars, people we see as friends of Trigona.
This year, we’re also launching a mead and a honey-based liqueur, so we’re slowly exploring more ways to promote and work with the honey.
Colour me curious
Matmary: We realised that while we are honey-based, from an outsider’s perspective, you couldn’t really differentiate Bar Trigona.
So we asked ourselves, “What is something that’s common across hotel bars?” And we noticed that a lot of them — if not most — are known for darker drinks.
Dark drinks, big ice cubes, usually some expensive whisky, single malt or rum. A Manhattan, a Negroni. Very dark, very simple, but with manicured garnishes and all that.
We decided that no hotel bar was really focusing on produce. There are plenty of independent bars around the world doing it — the whole farm-to-table thing — and restaurants do it all the time.
So we thought, “Why can’t a hotel bar do it?” “Why does it always have to stick to liqueurs, classics, Manhattans?”
Eventually, we came up with the idea of showcasing things through colour. Malaysia as a country is very vibrant. You go to other countries, even within South-east Asia, and they’re not as vibrant as Malaysia — in terms of culture, fruits, vegetables, produce.
So we said, “Why can’t we reflect that in our cocktails?”
Cacao, from the ‘Single Origin’ section of the new menu, makes use of the nibs, husks and beans of the cacao fruit. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
As Nature intended
Matmary: We work with two producers for our single-origin section right now. When it comes to bold statements like “single origin,” where you’re able to keep an eye on Nature, I think it’s important to work with people you trust.
We wanted to give the farmers the space to say, “What do you think you can grow for us?” and have real-time control — saying, “Oh, this isn’t ripe yet, let’s not harvest it,” or “This is the right ripeness, so let’s harvest it now.”
Watermelon, banana, pomelo — these are basic fruits for Malaysia.
Then we started thinking, how could we showcase more from these basic fruits? That’s when we realised that using the entire fruit in different parts within the cocktail makes a lot of sense.
Nose-to-tail dining, meet peel-to-pit drinking
Matmary: What we can do depends mostly on the produce. For this menu, these (banana, pomelo, cacao, pickles and watermelon) are the five we’ve chosen, with guarantees from farmers that they can be grown year-round, or preserved in a form that lasts across the year.
But as the produce changes, so will the cocktails. For us, cocktails are just a medium to let these fruits shine — where they shine the most and in a way that represents how we use them in our culture here in Malaysia.
For me, an espresso martini is a great drink to showcase a bar’s understanding of classic cocktails, and we wanted a cacao that would match the richness of an espresso martini.
We tried a few types and thought, “How can we use different parts of the same bean in the cocktail?” The husk, for example, is the biggest waste in cacao production, so we put that in rye whisky.
Rye’s spiciness works well with cacao. Then we used cacao nibs in the mole — mole is a Mexican sauce made with chocolate, and using the slightly bitter nibs in it added a new layer.
To balance it out, we added a kick of chilli and sweetened it with Cointreau. We kept building on these ideas until we had the final cocktail.
We knew we wanted to make an espresso martini, but we didn’t know the direction yet, so we let the cacao guide us in how to use each part of the fruit.
We let Nature speak. What works, works. What doesn’t, doesn’t.
Bar Trigona’s stingless bee honey mead is made in partnership with local fermentaries. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
Old-school
Matmary: Mead is one of the oldest and most renowned alcoholic beverages that comes to mind when you think of honey. When people visited the bar and asked, “Do you have a mead?” we’d always have to say, “No, we don’t.”
We realised that the honey we use wasn’t developed for making mead. So, we went back to Dino and asked how we could make our honey suitable for mead.
We brought in a local fermenter, took him to the hive, and experimented with different kinds of honey. After six or seven months of trials, we finally came up with a mead recipe.
We then decided to partner with a local fermentary. Mead involves fermentation, which means bacteria and hygiene are crucial — and that’s not something we can safely manage in a bar space.
Fermentation requires a large, sterile environment with the proper equipment. So, we thought, why not collaborate with one of the many fermentaries already making kombucha?
We could have them make the mead for us, and we’d co-brand it, selling it not only at the bar but also at the mini-bar.
It’s a way to support and promote the local Malaysian community through this project.
The times, they are changing
Matmary: People are increasingly preferring lighter cocktails. If you look at cocktail menus worldwide, the lighter cocktail section tends to be smaller because people usually gravitate towards stronger drinks, which offer a better value-for-money perception.
But today, people are more open to drinking lighter, fresher cocktails with zero sugar and no artificial ingredients, and they’re willing to pay a premium for it.
They prefer higher-quality ingredients that are well-balanced, rather than just focusing on the alcohol itself.
With our “no and low” section, we offer low-alcohol or non-alcoholic cocktails that look and taste the same as the alcoholic versions.
This allows guests to still enjoy the social experience, share a drink, and post a picture on social media — without the alcohol.
Matmary says that the emergence of new cocktail bars like Penrose (named Malaysia’s Best Bar 2024) will only help improve Kuala Lumpur’s reputation as a cocktail destination. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
Reflecting on KL’s cocktail scene
Matmary: For a long time, Trigona has been recognized as the best bar in Malaysia, but now it’s great to see more players emerging.
With Penrose jumping from 50th to 8th, Reka making the list, and bars like Three X Co, JungleBird, and Coley in the extended rankings, Malaysia is becoming more known for its bars.
Bars are a great entry point for tourists, as they’re often more accessible — no reservations needed, just walk in and enjoy a drink.
This growing recognition is an exciting opportunity for Kuala Lumpur to become a cocktail destination, and I’m excited to see Malaysia continue to grow in this space.
Bar Trigona will be participating in the second edition of KL Cocktail Week, which will run from April 22-27.
The bar will host Handshake Speakeasy from Mexico City, named the World’s Best Bar in 2024, and BKK Social Club, named 7th in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024, on Friday, the 25th, and join hands with Esca for a cocktail pairing dinner on Sunday, the 27th.
Bar Trigona
Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur,
145, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
Open daily, 5pm-1am.
Tel: 03-2382 8670
https://www.fourseasons.com/kualalumpur/dining/lounges/bar-trigona/
Facebook: Bar Trigona
Instagram: @bartrigona
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