Arak & Spice 3.0

As visitors and expats flock to Ubud to enjoy its many restaurants and cultural events, this small town in central Bali is developing a distinctive after-hours scene.

The Chris Salans Groups is adding spice to the night life in Ubud with its Spice Night Bar — which features a special menu of cocktails based on fresh local ingredients and innovative Indonesian finger food — every night from 10pm to midnight at the Spice at Chris Salans gastro-bar. A special feature of the Spice Night Bar is its inspired use of the traditional Balinese libations Arak and Brem in their cocktails.

On 13 September 2019 there will be a special night event, called Arak & Spice 3.0. A guest mixologist — Haris Jarrot from Sake No Hana — will create 4 cocktails to be paired with 4 modern Indonesian dishes from chef owner Chris Salans himself. The drinks will incorporate high-quality Arak and Brem furnished by the local producer Dewi Sri Company.

Arak is a clear distilled spirit from rice or palm, and Brem is a wine made from fermented rice. These traditional local drinks are used in Balinese religious rites as offerings for the ground spirits.

But there is nothing primitive about these cocktails.

Haris Jarrot’s specially created cocktails on 13 September will dazzle the most sophisticated gourmet tipplers.

Here’s a glimpse: his “Tales of a Honje” is comprised of Arak infused with honje (torch ginger flower), pineapple maillard clarification, clarified lime juice, Javanese chilli pepper, lemongrass syrup, Campari, and a splash of tonic water, garnished with dried pineapple, turmeric and honje powder and a sprig of mint.

Or consider the “Back in Time”: Arak infused with cascara (dried husk of coffee cherries), Brem, fried banana milk clarification, chocolate bitter, garnished with banana and black and white sesame.

Guests at Arak & Spice 3.0 will have a high culinary adventure of Indonesian flavors and gastronomic art.

Chef-owner Chris Salans says, “We are dedicated to exploring the creative possibilities of local ingredients from Bali and the rest of the Indonesian archipelago. Arak & Spice 3.0 is our third in a series of special events to re-introduce these traditional libations as a way of bringing guests closer to the real flavors of Bali. It’s going to be an amazing night.”