This post is sponsored by The Bar at The House on Sathorn
The Bar at The House on Sathorn enters a new era that reflects on the past under the leadership of Francesco Moretti.
The House on Sathorn is a century-old conserved destination built in 1889, making The Bar at The House on Sathorn a timeless drink destination, boasting heritage significance while standing at the forefront of Bangkok’s cocktail scene. To understand the importance of The Bar at The House on Sathorn, one must delve into the house’s history, which is exactly what the bar’s current menu does, taking drinkers on a tour of the House’s intriguing past and present, touching on nostalgia while using modern cocktail know-how courtesy of Italian Francesco Moretti, who took the helm of the bar in 2021.
Francesco’s career has seen him tend bar in America, Europe and Asia. Francesco is the hospitality powerhouse within the historic house, and has created a menu that pays homage to the many iterations The House on Sathorn has seen from the late 18th century until now. The menu is split into four sections, each with cocktails inspired by that particular period. Each section features signature cocktails plus one low abv and one non-alcoholic drink, and suggested food pairings. The food at The Bar at The House on Sathorn holds its own, spotlighting Thai ingredients and flavours with distinctive finesse. Each dish is a culinary interpretation of an iconic era from The House of Sathorn’s history.
The Present is the first part of the menu and of course features modern cocktails. Each drink highlights a Thai ingredient, such as the Aristocrat Stone with a base of Thai Mekong rum, pineapple, Samui coconut, lime, passion fruit, galangal root, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.
The Embassy Row section – the moniker given to Sathorn Road due to it housing a number of foreign embassies in Bangkok – The Bar’s drinks nod to the world of diplomacy and international affairs. Flavours from around the globe come into play in this section, such as Mr. Ambassador with cognac, jasmine rice, absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters, garnished tableside with gold leaf.
The Hotel Royal draws inspiration from The House’s 1920s period, when Italian Madame A. Staro turned the residence into the glitzy Hotel Royal. The hotel was extremely popular and the period was a particularly glamorous one. Cocktails in this section pay homage to that glitz and glamour, with drinks such as the Heritage of Madame Staro with Italian gin, clarified lemon, crème de violet and sparkling wine air foam.
The final section – The History of Sathorn – section honours the legacy of the original owner of the house, Chinese businessman Luang Sathorn Rajayukta. Cocktails in this section feature Thai and Chinese flavours – therefore drinks are crafted with subtle Thai and Chinese flavours. Cocktail Hainan to Siam represents both countries with gin, jasmine rice, citrus, cucumber, absinthe shiso and tonic water topped with a bubble garnish.
For those as keen on the history and cocktails, this storied house was built in 1889 during the reign of King Rama V, The House on Sathorn was originally the home of wealthy businessman Luang Sathorn Rajayutka and his descendants. In the 1920s, it became the Hotel Royal, and from 1948 to 1999, the building served as the Russian Embassy.
Wealthy Chinese businessman Luang Sathorn Rajayutka built the house in 1889, but unfortunately died of cholera at the young age of 38 in 1895. The following year, his eldest daughter Cham inherited the house, with her and her husband leaving in 1916 and selling the building and land to the King’s private holding. After another changing of hands, the building was lent to Italian Madame A. Staro and became the Hotel Royal.
Most notably, from 1948 to 1999, the building was leased to the Soviet Union as the first Russian Embassy in Thailand. A few years later in 2001, The Department of Fine Arts issued an official statement announcing the building as a registered national archaeological site. Shortly after in 2003, the building was leased to North Sathorn Hotel Co., Ltd (W Bangkok) who renovated and restored the building, opening The House on Sathorn plus The Bar in 2015.
A drink through the menu is a drink through history past and present, with the menu detailing each important era, and Francesco and team on hand to tell you more or even offer a tour of the stunning property.
For more information, please visit thebaratthehouseonsathorn.com
