Taiwan has always been known to be a gastronomical destination - there's no shortage of street food, homely mom and pop restaurants, trending cafes and bountiful local produce. And that's not to mention a whole host of tipples produced on the island itself - from acclaimed whisky distilleries to craft breweries making beers that truly champion the unique cuisines of Taiwan.

Source: @la_baleine_52

Any barhopper who's been keeping tabs on the Taiwan mixology scene would find themselves now spoilt for choice! Within Taipei City itself, we've got more craft cocktail bars than ever, sliding  the scale between sticking to classics done right to full on experimental.

Nick Wu in Bar Mood. Source: Tatler Asia

One of the earliest entrants that arguably helped set the stage was none other than Bar Mood, helmed by bartender Nick Wu: a longtime apprentice of Bar High Five's Hidetsugu Ueno. Nick Wu has been fixing up cocktails since 2001, and when the bar first opened its doors in 2017, he initially designed the place to be cozy bistro that served great meals alongside quality cocktails.

Source: TimeOut

For the past seven years, Bar Mood has clinched spots in Asia's 50 Best, showcasing homegrown ingredients, flavours, and sustainable approaches to cocktail making - truly proving that Taiwan is worthy to be on the global bar stage.

Congratulations Bar Mood for clinching No.37 in Asia's 50 Best!

Me and my friends had the opportunity to visit Bar Mood. Taking the exit from Zhongxiao Fuxing station of the Taipei Metro, we walked about 10 minutes towards the bar - past food stalls bustling with a supper crowd, night market stands which glistened in the night from an earlier rain.

Pay close attention when walking turning in to the junction where the bar is - the big window front could be easy to miss, especially at night. We promptly headed in, confirmed our reservation, and were shown our seats.

The first impression that struck me and our group was how cozy the space felt: the music was not overwhelming, yet all surrounding; seemingly designed to just about cushion the many conversations happening on the bar counter and the tables. The interior design was sleek with marble and leather sofas, yet had a welcoming presence that felt as if you're stepping into a well designed living room.

A fun tidbit of Bar Mood: most of the furniture is furnished by Nick Wu's parents, who have been in the furniture business for over five decades. Whilst we weren't seated at the bar counter, we could catch the view of the "bartop garden" that displayed Taiwan's native flowers and herbs.

We were seated next to the kitchen, where we could peer at the chefs torching and grilling bar bites whilst waiting for our cocktails.

Bar Mood features an extensive bar menu - the first few pages features a pair of cocktails that highlight a plant part. One of the cocktails from the pair features a botanical that is uniquely found in Taiwan or culturally significant and widely consumed by Taiwanese folk..

For instance, in the "Flora Series", Chrysanthemum, a flower that the Taiwanese are well acquainted with for its use in desserts ands teas, is paired with the Elderflower.

There is no shortage of descriptions here - the menu tells you which Taiwanese botanical is the feature, alongside the ingredients, alcohol content, and flavour profile - which made choosing the right cocktail easy. However, if ever in doubt, the service staff on the floor will always explain a cocktail before confirming your order.

 Let's get to the cocktails!

Our first cocktail of the night was the Season of Flower, featuring the Elderflower.

We wanted a cocktail that was fruity, sour, sweet to start off with - and the Season of Flower caught our eye. The cocktail is made with Roku Gin, elderflower liqueur, muscat grape liqueur, homemade jasmine tea syrup, and lemon juice.

True to the brief - very much of elderflower and gin, though, it does get quite a bit boozy. The muscat grape syrup was the star of the show in this cocktail, adding a very sweet, jelly like confectionery profile to the drink - making it very easy and approachable. I felt that Roku gin was a great choice, giving a big floral accent to the drink on top of the elderflower, with just enough pine and herbaceous flavours from the juniper to moderate the sweetness a notch. A great starter drink to pair with food!

The next cocktail we tastes was the Promised Land, featuring Pu Er Tea, a type of fermented tea known for its earthy, mushroomy and woody aromas and flavours.

Admittedly, the components of the cocktail caught my attention the most, featuring ripe pu er tea infused Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old, Punt e Mes Vermouth, Fernet Branca, homemade pu er tea syrup, lemon juice and grass jelly (I have a strong bias for cocktails that feature Fernet Branca).

Herbal sweet is how I would describe this cocktail - herbal, sticky, somewhat like a Chinese herbal throat candy. I feel that the vermouth and spices are accentuated much more here, with a tart, tannic texture on the palate that lifts the aromatic nature of this cocktail. For those who love their vermouths, this is for you. Also, the grass jelly is the  perfect garish fo this! As the drink dilutes down, the mintyness gets infused into the  cocktail, and more herbal flavours arise, giving profiles of aged kumquat and monk fruit.

Beyond the featured bar menu, we also took a look at some of the other cocktails that Bar Mood offered. If I could hatch a conjecture, these cocktails are past mainstay cocktails, or cocktails that stick to the classics say for a few tweaks. We went ahead to try the Earl Grey Martini.

As the name suggests - earl grey martini. Its simple,  somewhat boozy, and a tad sweeter than most martinis. The bergamot is tasteful and aromatic, though, I felt like the tea flavours could be pushed a bit more. For those who are not feeling too adventurous, this is very well in line; reading like familiar martini territory. Just wished there was a bit more tea here!

As a break from our cocktails, we were recommended the Pork Jowl by the bar staff. - and this dish is a must have if you're visiting Bar Mood!

The sweetness of the pork is impeccable, easily mistakable for char siew, there is a strong porky sweetness that doesn't get gamey or animalistic - alongside with how tender and juicy this is. The pork is also seasoned with just a sprinkle of spice (which reminds me of BBQ potato chips）but even on its own the pork stands as a very excellent dish. And that sticky smokiness! Its not burnt or caramelised, but adds a smoky aroma on the palate that lingers long. The pickle is very tart that adds as a perfect palate cleanser for the next slice.

Returning back to the cocktail programme, we decided on the Silence of the Royal Court, featuring Oolong Tea. Featuring a cognac base this time, this cocktail is made with Rémy Martin V.S.O.P, homemade deep roasted oolong tea syrup, homemade oolong tea clarified with soy milk, Dubonnet Aperitif, Dark Crème de Cacao, and lemon juice.

The aroma of the cognac is strong, but when you taste it, it really is a flavour explosion of tea, the fruity woody flavour of the cognac and a subtle nuttiness. How I recommend to enjoy this drink is to crumble off a piece of cookie, chew on it slightly and then take a sip of the cocktail - the salty, slightly dried tea flavours and buttery oiliness of the cookie really accentuates the oolong and herbal elements of the cocktail.

I did wish however that there was a tad more dilution in this one - maybe a rock or a hunk of ice, just so that it gives the cocktail more longevity as it sits on the glass. I think this cocktail will dilute rather nicely (of course, this is really just my hypothesis), as its quite sweet and alcoholic warming up after a few minutes. However, credits to the cognac integration! It really isn't lost in the cocktail, where you can still taste much of the base spirit.

Going back to the floral side of things, we tasted the Blossom of Sea, featuring Chrysanthemum. We were recommended this cocktail by the bar staff as we were looking for something intensely floral with a sweet flavour. Here, this cocktail uses chrysanthemum infused Naked Malt whisky, homemade four season tea syrup, Carpano Dry Vermouth, guava puree and lime juice.

Can I just mention how amazingly floral this cocktail was! Nosing the cocktail, you're primed to expect lots of floral notes - the shisho leaf and the chrysanthemums combining to a herbal, musty and honeylike aroma, but the palate does not disappoint either. Light, cooling, but a burst of fresh honeyed chrysanthemum blossom that is so satisfyingly moreish and complex at the same time, it begs for a second sip. This cocktail is really outstanding - and as it dilutes there's a very nice grassy hay-like sweetness that just adds to the moreishness.

For our last tipple of the night - admittedly, we stole many glances on our neighbouring tables. Why is a cocktail coming in a big, enamel white flask of a Chinese tyrant!? We just had to get it: this cocktail was called Tyrant's Blessing. This cocktail is made with Sombra Mezcal, homemade Taiwanese basil and lemongrass syrup, lemon juice, grapefruit juice and Taiwanese basil leaf.

Now, presentation is really something here! Enamel bottles aside, kudos on this pairing - the Taiwanese basil is aromatic, minty and well,  basil forward, but the way it combines with the mezcal - the smokiness does create a new, smoked vegetal flavour! What me and my company felt about the cocktail was that it ages quite well - becoming quite fruity, sour and less alcoholic as it sits. Personally, I really the garnish - lemon and Taiwanese basil is very oddly reminiscent of lemon myrtle.

Concluding Thoughts

If you're able to spare a night in Taipei City, I highly recommend checking out Bar Mood! Whilst a few metro stations away from Taipei Main Station or Xinmending, the journey there isn't quite long - not to mention, there are nearby night markets that can be visited around the region. Not to mention: there's lots of bars around Da'an district as well!

That being said, definitely make a reservation beforehand, as early as you could. Most nights, even weekdays, do see the bar being quite packed, so make sure you book a reservation instead of counting on walk-ins. Go visit Bar Mood, and tell them 88 Bamboo sent you!

@vernoncelli

Bar Mood

No. 53號, Lane 160, Section 1, Dunhua S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

P.S. On the topic of reservations, I accidentally made a reservation on the wrong date, but the Bar Mood front desk and staff were able to slot me in and my company that night. Shoutout to the folks at Bar Mood that night!