Penang Independent Travel | Penang Bars | Bar Surfing in Penang | Manchu Bar | Beso Rosado by ChinChin

We only had four short nights in Penang

Besides the bar attached to our hotel

we picked two evenings and hit one bar each night

to experience some of the local specialty bars

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Since cocktail taste is very subjective

the same cocktail won't necessarily suit everyone

here I'm only talking about my own preferences and impressions

sharing them as objectively as I can

🍸 Manchu Bar

📜 Information

• Address: 38 & 40, Jalan Pintal Tali, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
• Opening hours: 19:00 ~ 03:00
• Phone: +60 12-500 7588
• Official website: https://www.facebook.com/manchupenang/

📍 Atmosphere & Location

Located in the heart of George Town

the whole place has a strong ancient-China vibe

and it also counts as a little speakeasy

because when you first walk through the front door you can't find the entrance

only later did we realize you have to lift the curtain

and push open the hidden door behind it to get in

We arrived around 8:30

and there were only two or three tables of guests inside

which makes sense—few people start drinking this early 😅

Which also meant we could take our time photographing the space

It's all heavy classical Chinese styling

the decor is really distinctive

There's also a stage

used by the resident singers for their performances

Even the restroom has a special design

📜 Drinks Menu

🍸 Cocktails

Elixir Of Youth (RM 45)

It arrives with dry ice

so the visual presentation is pretty good

This one is gin-based

paired with Campari and botanicals

As for the taste, I think it really lives up to its name

"Elixir"

because honestly all you get is Campari's bitterness...

none of the floral notes from the ingredients came through

It felt like I was drinking a big pot of Chinese herbal medicine

Thanks to the butterfly pea flower

the drink has a pale purple-blue color

Open up the vessel it comes in

and you can see they're generous with the ingredients

they packed in a whole lot 😅

But since it isn't strained

you keep getting bits of the herbs and flowers when you pour it out

and I really don't enjoy constantly chewing on those botanicals

so personally I wasn't a fan of this drink at all

Spring Ripple (RM 58)

This Spring Ripple

is also gin-based

using pomelo and Chinese tea paired with cucumber

When it first arrived it tasted a little too sweet

but after letting the ice melt for a while

the sweetness dropped and it went down easily

the pomelo and cucumber in particular go well together

giving it a very fresh, clean flavor

Applemon (RM 38)

This one is rum-based

a solid, by-the-book apple-flavored cocktail

But when it was first brought over

the cinnamon stick on top was lit and burning

and the aroma of the smoldering cinnamon

added quite a lot to the overall flavor

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By the time we were leaving

every seat was taken

Packed with people

There was a resident singer performing too

Thanks to the distinctive decor

the overall experience is quite unique

but it's a shame none of the cocktails we ordered fully matched my taste

Also, because smoking is allowed indoors

lots of people were smoking

and the air got pretty bad

plus after we sat down we found the table hadn't been wiped clean

there was still food left on it

those two points were big minus marks

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🍸 Reso Rosada by ChinChin

📜 Information

• Address: 86, Lebuh Bishop, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
• Opening hours: 12:00 ~ 00:00
• Phone: +60 4-263 6868
• Official website: https://www.facebook.com/besodosadobychinchin/

📍 Atmosphere & Location

When I was researching this place

it looked like a famous Instagram photo spot

and besides cocktails

their food is also well known

In the photos I found online

there was a small area outside the bar

decorated with a bathtub specifically for Instagram photos

which looked really distinctive

But when we actually got there, it had turned into this

The whole style has completely changed

and I feel like the old look was nicer...

This time we chose seats at the bar counter

so we could watch the drinks being made

📜 Drinks Menu

🍸 Cocktails

Purple Rain, Purple Rain (RM 54)

This one is based on butterfly pea flower–infused gin

paired with lavender and Earl Grey tea for a floral, botanical cocktail

It has a slight sweetness and floral aroma

and the overall balance is very good

this was the drink that impressed me

The only downside is that the glass made it hard to smell the aroma

Beso Beso (RM 35)

This was supposed to be made as a mocktail

but the bartender may have forgotten and it came as a regular cocktail

It uses tea-infused vodka

with raspberry purée

plus some herbs and rose petals

Sweet and tart with a raspberry aroma

very easy to drink

If the infused tea notes had come through

this drink would have had even more complexity

Marikoriko (RM 36)

This one uses spiced rum

with passion fruit and pineapple

built on the concept of a fruit-flavored mojito

and it tastes pretty much like a fruity mojito

Overall it's quite good

basically, from the fruit-mojito combinations I've tried myself

none of them ever turn out badly

Tropic Panda (RM 34)

This one goes for a tiki style

also using spiced rum and passion fruit purée

finished with their house-made ginger beer

It has a fairly strong ginger kick

which I found an interesting flavor

though whether you like it depends on the person

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Overall

I'd rate this place highly

Watching them mix the drinks from the bar counter

you can tell they take their craft seriously

If you're in Penang

and looking for a bar for a drink

Beso Rosado by ChinChin is worth a try

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More bar records from around the world:

Bar List | Bar surfing around the world | Bar-hopping records worldwide

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Penang Independent Travel Itinerary Overview

• Penang Independent Travel | Itinerary Overview | Penang Hill | Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion | George Town Street Art | Clan Jetties | Penang Bars

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• PENANG INDEPENDENT TRAVEL | HISTORY & CULTURE | CHEONG FATT TZE MANSION | THE BLUE MANSION | CRAZY RICH ASIANS FILMING LOCATION | PERANAKAN MUSEUM
• PENANG INDEPENDENT TRAVEL | HISTORY & CULTURE | CLAN JETTIES | GEORGE TOWN STREET ART | KEK LOK SI TEMPLE

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• PENANG INDEPENDENT TRAVEL | PENANG RESTAURANTS | KEBAYA DINING ROOM | NYONYA CUISINE | SEVEN TERRACES
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Penang Bars

• PENANG INDEPENDENT TRAVEL | PENANG BARS | BAR SURFING IN PENANG | MANCHU BAR | BESO ROSADO BY CHINCHIN

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