BANGKOK — If a hard-drinking, globetrotting Siamese woman hitched trains to Europe and back to open a bar, Ms. Jigger thinks it’s that bar.
Opened just in November, Ms. Jigger, located on the ground floor of the hip magnet Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok hotel in the Langsuan area, serves generously strong cocktails and a fictional backstory centered around a Miss Fisher-like character to tie it all together.
For example, when ordering the “Nuite a Paris,” (433 baht), a cognac cocktail with elderflower liqueur, champagne, and rose, a glass of pink arrives along with a deconstructed macaron on measuring spoons.
“So Ms. Jigger’s in Paris and this street artist guy’s trying to get into her pants. They’ve got a box of macarons and cheap champagne with them, and she’s just using him as a tour guide to get around the city,” bartender Aaron Feder said. “She’s fuckin’ cool.”
Those drinking will notice at their tables a rolled-up message in a bottle, which unfurls to show the cocktail menu along with blurbs of Ms. Jigger’s adventures in Europe.
The Terra-Abruzzo (399 baht), a coquettish pink blend of gin, pine liquor, rosemary and raspberry oleo is a creamy mix with woody scents and is supposed to commemorate Ms. Jigger’s adventure in central Italy, visiting “the gracious and gregarious type of distant relation” and their vineyard that remind her of a many-layered dream.
Feast of Ferragosto (398 baht) is a daring cocktail of genever with egg white and
shaved parmesan to remember that time Ms. Jigger spent harvest season in Italy.
A jigger is a measuring tool used in bartending to measure liquor.
Unfortunately, however, that’s all patrons will get to know about Ms. Jigger. In a prime example of potential unfulfilled, her presence isn’t felt in the hotel decor nor the expensive Italian food.
The aperitivo combo (690 baht) is an appetizer of tuscan ham, smoked olives, and hunks of parmigiano reggiano, the polpette al sugo piccante (374 baht) are six meatballs in tomato sauce, and the ricotta ravioli comes as three large pieces (456 baht). The lamb chop is 842, and the polipo charred octopus is 725 baht.
Small for their price are the 24 month parma ham pizza (550 baht) and the tartufata (573 baht) for fans of truffles.
Dessert options include the tender, not-too-sweet Ms. Jigger Tiramisu (374 baht), rather than the Prospino al Limoncello (480 baht) which may only please those who love candied fruits in sorbets.
Have a chat with Aaron if hanging around the bar area. The third-generation bartender from Boston has a lot of stories to tell, and his Boston accent might even slip out.
“My grandfather would kill me if I called myself a mixologist,” Feder said jokingly.
Ms. Jigger is open from 11:30am to 2:30 pm for lunch and from 5:30pm to midnight every day except Tuesdays. The Kimpton Maa-Lai is located on Langsuan Road, about 800 meters away from BTS Chit Lom.