Famous for its forward-thinking cocktails served in a funky and fun way, Bangkok’s Mahaniyom Bar is also known for its innovative approach, combining modern techniques with Thai cultural elements while focusing on a singular ingredient. Opened in 2022, Mahaniyom has been awarded many accolades, including snagging the No. 19th spot on The World’s 50 Best Bars List 2023.

Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn, a multi-talented bartender, MC and actor is founder and co-owner of Mahaniyom Bar and  several other bars in Bangkok. Driven by his passion, Ronnaporn experiments with local Thai ingredients to create unique drinks. He is also celebrated for presenting the winning cocktail at the Bacardi Legacy Global Finals 2019. This passion for local ingredients trickled down to the all-Thai team at Mahaniyom Bar, creating wildly innovative, low-waste cocktails.

What is the concept behind Mahaniyom?
“The cocktail program is called “Resourceful Cocktails” The concept behind it requires one ingredient, one cocktail, which maximizes the ingredients by using different techniques to get different flavors from different parts, different times, or different products of that ingredient in one drink. It’s like a challenge. We would like to showcase using these ingredients – the things we can do with it, such as extracting flavors in different ways.”

How many different drinks are there in Mahaniyom?
“Mahaniyom currently has 16 drinks – with ingredients such as pomelo, watermelon, grapes, rice, and coconut among them, things that are common ingredients, as well as adventurous ingredients such as beef, squid, and duck, which are also some of our best sellers too.” Ronnaporn loves full-flavored cocktails from Thai food, which may be sweet, savory, and sour.

How has this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars ranking affected Mahaniyom?
“This year’s ranking has increased the number of visitors coming over. Making it to The Asia’s 50 Best Bars list has let me share my passion, ideas, and creativity with more people. To the team, I feel that the success has motivated them to do better for the years to come.”

What can you tell us about tonight’s menu by Mahaniyom Bar at Bar Miglia?
“I brought four drinks: Mango, Coconut, Banana, and Watermelon. As part of Mahaniyom’s current menu, I would like to show the people attending the event today what coming for a drink at Mahaniyom feels like.”

Mango
Served like a Gimlet, Mango is served in a dry and sour style where you sip, eat the garnish, and then sip the cocktail again. The Mango consists of young mango leaves, Tanqueray gin, Bourbon, Fino Sherry, green mango syrup, ripe mango acid, and caramelized pickled onion.

Watermelon
Fennel seed-infused Don Julio Blanco, white rum, unoaked Chardonnay, watermelon seed, Orgeat syrup – a sweet syrup made from almonds and sugar, watermelon juice, lime juice and pickled watermelon rind. Light, easy, sweet, and sour. The cocktail has a nutty undertone and a refreshing finish.

Coconut
Turmeric-infused Johnny Walker Black Label – resulting in an earthy, pleasantly bitter taste, roasted coconut aged rum, Agricole Rum produced with sugarcane, coconut water, Seablite Cordial made from the Seablite plant – a plant that’s native to the estuaries and salt marshes of coastal areas – providing a slightly salty flavor that is like spinach, and coconut husk smoke.

Banana
Grilled banana leaf Johnnie Walker Gold Label, sun dried banana vermouth, green banana Campari, and cumin Calvados – a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and pears then infused with cumin, a flowering plant native to the Irano-Turanian Region. It is a cocktail with rich layers and smoky, fruity, bitter, and slightly spiced flavors—an adventurous, bold drink with a tropical, savory edge.

 

Whether you’re a longtime fan of Ronnaporn and Mahaniyom Bar’s crafted cocktails or a first-time visitor, Ronnaporn warmly invites everyone to experience Mahaniyom. If you can’t make it in person, you can see their work on Ronnaporn’s or Mahaniyom’s Instagram. But to truly appreciate the experience, you’ll need to see it for yourself next time when you’re in Bangkok.