The buzz: Mixologist Karn Liangsrisuk, runner-up in the 2012 Bacardi bartending contest, has joined forces with his foodie friend Wan to open Escapade Burgers & Shakes, situated right opposite Phra Sumen Fort on the charming and fairly happening Phra Atit Road in Bangkok.

The décor: Half of the space inside the small shophouse is dedicated to the open bar and kitchen to which you can pull up a wooden stool. The walls are painted black with space for paintings (some are available to buy). The cozy garden out the back provides a bit more breathing space and is occupied by a handful of proper light brown wooden tables.

The music: The playlist seems to have been cobbled together from the owners’ old record collection. On our last visit, the bar was filled with bluesy rock from the likes of Eric Clapton and Jimmy Hendrix, with a few Latino flourishes courtesy of Santana. However, the staff told us that pop tunes are often picked out at random.

The crowd: From fun-loving first jobbers on the tear to cocktail lovers seeking authentic mixes in a new haunt to expats who live and work in the neighborhood.

The price: Unlike other bars with long cocktail lists, the Escapade menu doesn’t feature fancy names. Instead there’s three parts to the ordering process: 1) Choose your alcohol level (1, 2, 3 or extreme); 2) Pick your base poison, from gin, rum or vodka (no tequila here); 3) Choose your mixing method or let the mixologist take over. They might ask you if you have any allergies or whether you’d like your drink sweet or sour, before getting creative. We recommend you ask if there are any new ingredients in store, as they’re always open to experimentation (don’t worry, it’s all above board). If that’s all too complicated, you can also order a nice single malt like the Glenfarclas (B250) or Talisker 10 Year Old (B250). Singha and Heineken are available at B80, too. On the food side, they do a solid  beef burgers (also available in pork) served with fries or onion rings (B180). Double your intake with a Quarter Cow (two beef patties, two slices of cheddar cheese with truffle sauce, B280), or stick to pub grub like nachos (B80) and chicken wings with pesto sauce (B120). For something sweeter, try the Roti Crème Brulée (B70).

Why you’ll come back: They really do serve up super-refreshing and creative cocktails that are worth the drive if you’re not a local. On top of that, the bar’s range of smoothies and burgers, not to mention its homey atmosphere, are all easy to quickly fall in love with. Vasachol Quadri