Atchara Is the Star Beverage at This 'Bizarre' Bar in Makati
The first thing you'll notice about Makati's newest bar, Bizarre, is that you can't pin it yet on Google Maps, Waze, or even Grab. That's how brand new it is. But if you do manage to find it, you're in for a novel drinking experience: cocktail degustation.
Just How Bizarre Is Bizarre Bar
Your experience at Bizarre begins the moment you enter an unassuming door beside the more familiar B House, located at the corner of Algier and Jacobo Streets in Poblacion. This leads you to a staircase that opens to an intimate venue with a 10-seater bar and a handful of small tables to complete its capacity for 25 guests. While the dimly lit room features a black-and-white color motif—from the tables to the chairs and even the art hung on the wall, elements of red spring up here and there, such as one or two red chairs and a red vase on a black table. The space is almost cinematic, which is made possible through the efforts of Rocky Legaspi and Miguel Alomajan of Rocket Sets and architects Raymond Zapirain and Mike Coscolluela. You can't miss the circular glass at the center of the bar shelf, which gives you the illusion of a three-dimensional portal, reminding you of the strangeness you're about to experience.
And then, there's the star of the show: the drinks.
"Basically, Bizarre is a concept built by two creative minds, like crazy people. I'm with [Chef] Kel Zaguirre, the guy behind Locavore, Mambo's Lechon, Fin & Claw, and others. We collaborated together to produce something that I think, as much as we know, hasn't been done yet in the Philippine market," Ian Libang tells Esquire Philippines during a sneak peek.
He was talking about Bizarre's by-reservation-only cocktail degustation, where guests are served a five-course cocktail menu paired with elevated bar chow. Tasting menus have become a big thing in Manila as people's palates become more open to a sequence of curated dishes. Libang hopes to take things further by introducing narrative-driven drinking at Bizarre, where the tagline is "Narrative Storytelling on Fine Drinking."
"With [Bizarre], we're doing it the cocktail way. It's just because Filipinos really love not just to eat, but also to drink and celebrate. So we're doing it, and everything is the other way around. Instead of having food paired with drinks, this is drinks paired with bar bites. Technically, the drink program will be developed first. From there, the chefs will taste the food and drinks, and then we will pair them to complement our dishes," he adds.
The "narrative storytelling" concept comes as soon as guests take a seat.
"All of our guests will have cocktails and bites at the same time. It's kind of like a show, like a stage play," Libang offers. Every drink comes with a story narrated by him and his team, then another drink with another spiel building towards a narrative. This five-course fine drinking experience is available in two time slots: 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. The drinking session lasts for about two and a half hours and consists of five cocktails. Unless, of course, you drink fast. Just remember that you will have to deal with a flight of stairs once you're done for the night.
To make things even more bizarre every time you visit, the bar features an ever-changing menu that promises high-level concepts of curated cocktails. For opening night on May 16, for example, The Bizarre is all set to bring guests "The Roots."
"It's more of like the roots of Filipino culinary culture. We're not saying it's the ingredients, it's the flavor, it's the way of cooking. It's in general. It could be the way how usually the food is cooked. It could be the ingredients that's used. It could be local. It could be inspiration as well," Libang explains.
And by "roots," they meant: vinegar, soy sauce, calamansi, rice, and even atchara.
Atchara With Ripe Papaya and Orange Jello
Now, the last one may throw a lot of people off, including this author, who actually hates anything pickled and served with vinegar. But the atchara-inspired cocktail is surprisingly a drink that grows on you. It hints at savory flavors in the orange-hued liquid and wraps up with a burst of freshness from a slice of frozen papaya, mixed with orange jello, resting on an orange peel atop the crystal-clear ice cube.
ALSO READ
The 15 Best Wine Bars in Manila
This Poblacion Bar is the First Web3 Gastropub in the Country
Bizarre But Make It Personal
On top of the cocktail degustation, Bizarre offers what Libang calls the "Peculiar Curations." Basically, you're given a piece of paper where you tick the boxes depending on what you want.
Bizarre's Peculiar Curations
Elephant Sloe Gin
You can choose the profile: Refreshing, Sour, Complex, or Spirit-Driven. Next, select the flavor: Herbs, Floral, Fruity, Fizzy, or Dry. Then, choose the base: Gin, Vodka, Rum, Agave, or Whisky. Guests can also opt for Foamy, Smoky, and Spiced. Finally, indicate any food allergies or dietary restrictions to make your drinking session worry-free.
Checking the boxes for Refreshing, Fruity, and Gin—for example—gave me Bizarre's version of Gin-Pomelo. Imagine the 100-peso pitcher of gin-pomelo from college, but made gourmet. That's what Bizarre is all about: telling a story or invoking a memory through a glass of cocktail.
Manhattan and Gin Pomelo
"We're heavy on experience. That's number one that we want to give to our guests," concludes Libang.
Five drinks later—including the atchara one—we can definitely say it was an experience.
Bizarre Bar is at 5925 Algier corner Jacobo Streets, Poblacion, Makati. It officially opens on May 16. For reservations, message them at @thebizarre on Instagram.
