Sugar Ray, You've Just Been Poisoned
The 2014 bar that seeded Bangkok's indie speakeasy wave, parent crew of Q&A, Thaipioka and Alonetogether, no longer lives in Ekkamai: it now hides inside the Octo Seafood Bar complex on Sukhumvit 24, behind a door you find by locating the staff member in medieval costume.
Why go
Head mixologist Vipop Jinaphan runs what Time Out calls "well-executed cocktails" that are "still some of the best in Bangkok," in a relocated room of "fine black marble and leather" that per 50 Best Discovery traded the original's "shabby chic vibes for a sleeker, minimalist look." The builds stay playful and Asian-led: Born and Raised on "Thai tea-infused gin with pandan syrup, mandarin and lime" (B350), the Un Poco Loco on sous-vide saffron tequila with amaro, mango and yogurt (B420), and the Elixir on ginseng-infused gin. The name, the costume door and the joke menu are the same crew BK Magazine credits with running Sugar Ray, Q&A and Dim Dim before Thaipioka.
Order this / avoid
- Order: Born and Raised first, then the East Coast Boulevard, Bengalese-spiced-tea Campari against rye and Punt e Mes, per Time Out.
- Avoid: heading to Ekkamai on the old save. The original room is gone; the bar operates inside the Octo Seafood Bar building on Sukhumvit 24, next to the Davis Hotel.
What locals & experts say
- Time Out Bangkok: post-move, the
well-executed cocktails are still some of the best in Bangkok,
served witha fuss-free and charmingly laidback vibe.
1 - 50 Best Discovery: the current listing confirms the Sukhumvit 24 address and frames the program as
Asian-led signature cocktails.
2 - BK Magazine (2017): the group's track record,
previous success managing Sugar Ray, Q&A, and Dim Dim.
3
Good to know
- Timing: 7pm to 2am; Time Out's review says Tuesday to Sunday, the Discovery listing says daily, so check before a Monday visit.
- Booking: walk-in; the bar-counter seats are the ones worth waiting for.
- Getting there: Sukhumvit Soi 24, a short walk from BTS Phrom Phong; pairs with Alonetogether one soi over for a two-stop night inside the same bar family.
Verdict
could-visit — Sugar Ray opened in 2014 as the original of Bangkok's playful indie-speakeasy wave, and it is the root of the family tree that grew Q&A, Thaipioka and Alonetogether. Time Out judges the relocated room's drinks still among the city's best, but the move traded the Ekkamai charm for black marble, and there is no award apparatus behind it, so it lands as a strong could-visit on the Phrom Phong side of town.