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Raffles 1887

Legendary Libations

Kaf-Kaf & Tonic: G&T reimagined the Cambodian way

The Elephant Bar at Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh stocks over 200 gins. Yes, you read that right. Among them are Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin and Elephant Bar Gin – two brands crafted especially for Raffles. Not surprisingly, the bar mixes a wicked gin cocktail. One of these, the award-winning Kaf-Kaf Gin & Tonic, is a classic-in-the-making.     

A MAN walks into a bar and orders a gin and tonic. The barman asks him which gin he would prefer, naming five or six brands. If that bar happens to be at Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh, those five or six brands are only the beginning – the hotel’s Elephant Bar has one of the most extensive collections of gin in Asia, comprising more than 200 different styles and brands from around the world.

Cambodia is not a country traditionally known for its gin. Colonialists of the 19th century may have been partial to a G&T, but that was largely because the gin rendered the tonic, which contained quinine to combat malaria, more palatable. Even when the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy, Charlie Chaplin and Charles de Gaulle were perusing the Elephant Bar’s cocktail list in the 20th century, the choice of gins was still pretty limited.

But when the craft spirits movement took off a couple of decades ago, the Elephant Bar decided to build a drinks list centred on gin. The bar team set to work, selecting gins for their overall quality, uniqueness and – crucially – how well they mix in cocktails. 

Top of the list had to be Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin, the result of a collaboration between London micro-distillery Sipsmith and Raffles. By happy coincidence the co-founder of Sipsmith is the great-great-great nephew of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore and inspiration behind the Raffles name. This gin was originally created to celebrate a classic Raffles cocktail tradition – the legendary Singapore Sling – and incorporates botanicals with Asian influences such as jasmine, lemongrass and pomelo alongside classic gin botanicals. 

Other imported gins in the collection include Four Pillars from Australia, Bulldog from Scotland, Lady Trieu from Vietnam, and many familiar labels from the UK such as Bombay Sapphire, Beefeater and Tanqueray.

Not all of the gins in the Elephant Bar’s collection are imported. A new craft spirits and cocktail scene is emerging in Cambodia, especially in Phnom Penh, producing premium gins that celebrate Southeast Asian botanicals. One such producer is Seekers Independent Spirits, a Phnom Penh-based craft distillery which collaborates with Raffles to create a number of bespoke Elephant Bar-branded gins. These gins use local botanicals, such as ginger, lemongrass and other region-specific ingredients, blended with classic gin elements, with several versions tailored for different cocktails, including the Phnom Penh Sling (pictured).

One of the Elephant Bar’s most popular gin-based cocktails – and winner of the 2017 Phnom Penh Gin Jubilee – is the Kaf-Kaf Gin & Tonic, its name inspired by the kaffir lime, a key ingredient of Khmer cuisine. To the Elephant Bar Gin base are added a syrup of fresh jasmine flowers, the bar’s own bitters crafted from lemongrass and both the leaf and the fruit of kaffir lime, and East Imperial Old World Tonic. The latter is important as, like the gin, it’s made from Asian botanicals and is also far less sweet than most modern tonic waters. 

How to make a Kaf-Kaf Gin & Tonic

45ml Elephant Bar Gin or Seekers Gin
5ml jasmine syrup
2 dashes lemongrass & kaffir lime bitters

Mix with: East Imperial Old World Tonic

Pour all of the ingredients into a rocks or lowball glass, add ice and serve with East Imperial Old World Tonic. Garnish with a stick of lemongrass.

Still can’t decide which gin to order? The Elephant Bar Gin Experience offers a tasting and two hours of unlimited gin cocktails drawn from 50 gin labels. Meanwhile, the collection continues to evolve, offering new and interesting gins as the team discovers them and as new producers enter the market. 