Booze vs. Ballots

When comes an election, nightcrawlers like us must stop drinking for a night or two for the sake of preserving the integrity of our judgment when the time comes to tick the box. Oh, come on: really? Driving drunk is one thing, but drinking and voting? Anyone who has so little self-control that he can’t be trusted to show up at the polling booth reasonably sober (or at all) probably shouldn’t be casting ballots in the first place. Duh. Tourists who have the misfortune of arriving on one of our dry democratic weekends must wonder what century we’re stuck in. Still, the fact is that anyone who really wants a drink can get one—note all the punters toasting with coffee cups, even in five-star hotel bars—for a price. That popular Soi Lang Suan joint located just behind Ember was one such covertly wet venue; medium-sized bottles of “cranberry juice” were filled with whisky or vodka and went for B1,000. Ouch! But a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Women, too. Over the rainbow in the small soi off Silom Road, at every bar it was business as usual, no one even bothering with coffee cups, plastic bottles or other camouflage. The same was true over on Ekkamai at the second-hand furniture bar (the one without a number); and, at the one with the number, at least on Sunday, the doors didn’t close until 3am.

Do Your Hair Elsewhere

Barber by day and bar by night, At Barber opened on the third floor of Kluen Seak (Sarasin Road) and soon turned into an after hours speakeasy for Sarasin and Silom Soi 2 punters. Predictably, earlier this year the men in brown closed the place down for good. You know what’s coming next: “sources” tell us that At Barber is now @Barber and has opened its doors for rainbow troops at the corner of Surawong and Narathiwas roads next to Somboon Restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Liquid Lounge. Décor aside, the music hasn’t changed (gay dance anthems, house) nor has the drag show that plays nightly at 2am. No more barber service, though. Closing time? We couldn’t tell you, but we stumbled out at 4am.

Guy Dee

Manning the decks at BarSu now is David Dee a.k.a. David Dominguez, who spins soul and house as well as Afrobeat and Nu-jazz, nightly through Mar 22. The cat behind USB Records in New York and London hosts a Friday night radio show and has played alongside and/or collaborated with big boys like Erick Morillo, Roger Sanchez, Marshall Jefferson, Frankie Knuckles, Deep Dish and so on. So head over for the soulful sounds of Mr. Dee and a dozen oyster martinis. Slurp! Read BK’s interview with David Dee: 60 Seconds.

Not Ready When You Are

Contrary to popular perception, we’re a polite bunch over at BK. When Escudo decided to upgrade itself to “interactive bar” status, we patiently waited for them to green-light a visit for the purposes of a write-up in our bitchin’ On the Bar column. “Not ready,” they said. We took a walk while they opened the place for private functions. Next they threw a big Valentine’s Day bash, which we figured was a sign that the work was done. “Not ready,” they said again. Apparently the soft opening crowd was a bit too interactive and thrashed the place, like stomping on saplings before they get a chance to grow into trees. Which everyone agrees is a blast. Now the whispers are that the new Escudo is undergoing another round of construction that should be completed by April. Maybe someone should tell them how messy Songkran revelers can be.

“Mixologists”—Who Needs ‘Em?

Take the control freak in your life (actually let her take you) over to the Conrad Hotel for their latest attention-grabbing stunt called Conradtini. Instead of choosing from a list of professionally engineered cocktails, you get to design your own, from the alcohol to the mixers to the garnish and even the glass. The price is B340, fussy man. The service will be available throughout 2008.