The Cambodian capital might not spring to mind as a top drinking destination, but these innovative distilleries and bars are stirring things up, one sip at a time.

*Left to right:* Ryuji Nukata at Mawsim; cocktails at Seekers Spirits House include the Purple Lady, made with gin, orange liqueur, and butterfly pea syrup. (Photos: Nataly Lee)

MAWSIM

This craft gin brand is proof that good ideas can spring from unlikely places. Mawsim was born when the local subsidiary of a Japanese recycling company figured out how to derive ethanol from water hyacinth, a pretty but invasive weed choking Cambodia’s Tonle Sap lake. Supplementing this with ethanol distilled from cashew fruits, which are traditionally discarded after the nut is harvested, Mawsim currently offers two gins: Spices and Herbs, which showcases Cambodian peppercorns and wild local cardamom; and Tropical Citrus, infused with makrut limes and oranges from the northern province of Battambang. Each comes in a beautiful blue bottle inspired by traditional Dutch kelderflessen (case bottles) that can be reused at home as a carafe or vase. Located in a dilapidated commercial building just a few minutes’ walk from the glinting Vattanac Capital skyscraper, the Mawsim distillery opens (by appointment only) as a cozy tasting bar at night; look for the affable chief distiller, Ryuji Nukata, who will whip up a precisely mixed gin and tonic and conduct tours of the gin-making process on request.

*Left to Right:* A Shapeshifter cocktail from Sora’s The Book of Yokai menu; the bar team at Sora. (Photos courtesy of Rosewood Phnom Penh)

SORA AND WHISKY LIBRARY

Perched on the 37th floor of the Vattanac Capital tower at the Rosewood Phnom Penh, the fittingly named Sora (meaning “sky” in Japanese) is the city’s highest bar, with jaw-dropping views from its cantilevered terrace. Its latest cocktail menu, The Book of Yokai, comprises a dozen concoctions inspired by Japanese folklore. The rich and smooth Shapeshifter, for one, is a tribute to the raccoon-like Tanuki spirit, with distinct caramel notes from local palm sugar and Diplomático rum fat-washed with cashew-nut butter. The God of the Seas, meanwhile, riffs on a dry martini with its blend of brown rice–infused London dry gin with dry vermouth and rice vinegar. The Japanese theme extends into the adjacent Whisky Library, a clubby space whose menu of whisky cocktails honors the Tenka-Goken, a quintet of ancient samurai swords revered in Japan as masterpieces of their craft. They include a tasty twist on the Japanese highball as well as The Imperial, featuring dry figs infused in Scotch whisky alongside umeshu plum liqueur, Campari, and ponzu.

The tasting room at Seekers Spirit House. (Photo: Nataly Lee)

SEEKERS SPIRIT HOUSE

The brainchild of longtime expatriates Tania Unsworth and Marco Julià Eggert, Seekers Spirits is a celebration of Cambodian ingredients, be they botanicals sourced along the banks of the Mekong River or natural spring water from the Kampot Mountains. The brand’s distillery and tasting room inhabit a former textile factory in the southern part of town, where small-batch gins are made using a gleaming high-tech iStill (“the Tesla of stills,” Eggert calls it). Seekers Spirits’ flagship gins include the full-bodied Mekong Dry Gin (infused with 11 native botanicals including pandan, Battambang green oranges, and Khmer basil) and its mellower, wood-finished counterpart Mekong Gold Gin. There’s also a cassava-root vodka, as well as highly giftable liqueurs and pre-bottled cocktails such as the Flying Bong, which derives its vibrant hue from organically grown butterfly pea flowers. A pastis featuring local star anise is soon to come.

BAR ODIN

Appearing for all intents and purposes like a nondescript garage set next to a Yunnan noodle shop, Bar Odin offers a true speakeasy experience. Push past the wooden door and you’ll find a low-lit, atmospheric space filled with both locals and expats. It’s no accident the place feels distinctively Japanese, as the bar’s entire contents—its counter, furniture, and original liquid inventory—were reportedly transplanted from its namesake in Tokyo’s Ginza district when the latter shuttered. There is a fairly extensive if not particularly remarkable food menu, though experienced punters know to come post-dinner for the deftly mixed cocktails, premium wines, and, most importantly, the 400-bottle-strong selection of whisky, bourbon, and cognac, all neatly stacked in shelves behind the bar. The latter includes curated picks from Japan, Ireland, and Scotland alongside rare drops from ghost distilleries.

Samai Distillery opens as a bar on a weekly basis. (Photo courtesy of Samai Distillery)

SAMAI DISTILLERY

Founded by a pair of Venezuelans who saw potential in Cambodia’s abundant sugarcane, the country’s first premium rum distillery is helmed by its first master rum distiller, Moang Darachampich, who sets her spirits to age in French and American oak ex-bourbon and sherry casks. Samai, situated in the Tonle Bassac neighborhood, turns out white, gold, and red Kampot pepper–infused rums, as well as PX Rum Liqueur, which is aged for at least four years in Pedro Ximénez barrels from Spain. You can find them at bars across the city, but even better is sampling them at the source, when the distillery opens its doors as a bar every Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.

The elegant indoor bar at Rosewood Phnom Penh’s Sora. (Photo courtesy of Rosewood Phnom Penh)

This article originally appeared in the December 2023/February 2024 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Phnom Penh’s Top Pours”).

Where to Drink in Phnom Penh

Stay inspired with our DestinAsian newsletters