Meliá Chiang Mai’s jewel in the crown, 360-degree rooftop bar Mai The Sky Bar, will welcome an award-winning bartender next month to concoct an imaginative selection of Thai-inspired cocktails.
Benz Naphat Boonmamuang, a.k.a “Mr B”, who hails from Chiang Mai and has been recognized among Thailand’s top mixologists, will “take over” Mai The Sky Bar on Friday August 2 from 7pm until midnight.
Perched on Meliá Chiang Mai’s 22nd floor, Mai The Sky Bar – the highest in Chiang Mai – offers spectacular views of the Ping River to the city’s east and famed Doi Suthep Temple on the mountaintop to the west. The remarkable venue features rooftop terraces at varying heights, with a spectacular glass bridge connecting the bar’s highest seating areas.
Mr B, the beverage and bar manager at Anantara Chiang Mai’s Brit Bar at 1921 House, has more than a decade’s experience of mixology under his belt. He has been recognised in the prestigious “World Class Thailand” Bartender of the Year Awards, named the second runner runner-up in the 2024 awards and a finalist in 2023. He was also the first runner-up at the Giffrad West Cup this year and a finalist in the Dewar’s Highball Challenge last year.
His Thai-inspired cocktails on offer during the takeover include a highball cocktail dubbed “Poy Luang”, which means a grand celebration featuring a lively procession dominated by the sounds of the gamelan.
Paying homage to traditional drinking customs where alcohol is typically consumed with pickled fruit, the cocktail features a homemade wild apple sparkling juice – made from wild apples, galangal and citron grown by the Doi Ang hill tribe community in Chiang Mai’s Fang District – mixed with Johnnie Walker Black Label Whiskey. The cocktail is garnished with plum-soaked citron wrapped in edible plastic; a nod to the world’s need to reduce plastic use.
Mr B’s selection of cocktails complement Mai The Sky Bar’s menu featuring dishes underpinned by local sustainable and organic farming. Drawing on Meliá’s Spanish roots, the city’s most happening venue’s vibrant menu serves a variety of tapas and pinchos, grazing boards and desserts under sections dubbed “Para Picar”, “Tableros” and “Postres” respectively.
Mai The Sky Bar’s resident DJ will spin commercial house music, afrobeats, pop and dancehall tunes from 8pm.
Entry to Mai The Sky Bar for Mr B’s takeover is THB 250 net per person, with credit towards food and drinks.
For further information or to make a reservation, email maiskybar@melia.com or call +66 52 090 600.
