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Vender

Taichung

• The Best Bar in Taiwan 2024, sponsored by Mancino Vermouth

After a successful spell bartending in Singapore, Summer Chen returned to her native Taiwan to open Vender with her partner, Darren Lim. Chen liked the idea that vending machines provide daily essentials everywhere, so she based her bar on this premise. Indeed, to enter the premises, guests need to insert a coin in the vending machine at the entrance. Once inside, everyone is greeted by a small welcoming portion of a Singapore Sling as a nod to Chen’s recent past, before selecting from vending machines selling bottled cocktails and beers alongside capsules denoting the cocktails.

Vender’s menu features pockets containing the main ingredients used in each signature cocktail – which are named after different types of vending machines – allowing guests to explore each element to inform their final choice. Drinks feature herbs and spices from Southeast Asia, and the food offering also nods to the region with dishes such as bak kut teh (Hokkien pork rib broth) and chili crab. The Cigar Vending Machine cocktail is inspired by Chen’s first taste of Cuban cigars and features dark rum, red wine syrup, fresh lemon juice, egg white, aromatised wine and chocolate bitters, smoked using Taiwanese cypress wood chips.

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