Bangkok is a city brimming with talented and fascinating people. In 27 Questions, we interview notable Bangkok personalities, learning about their whims and aversions, important life moments and their hopes and dreams, all revealed in about the same amount of time it takes to sit through a round of speed dating.
Sebastian de la Cruz is a good example of how the best ideas sometimes come after a drink or two. This month, we asked our 27 Questions to the man who turned one casual drinks night with a friend into a business venture – and a seriously successful one at that. Tropic City is now one of Bangkok’s most popular go-tos for those “casual drinks nights”. With a regular crowd of all-sorts from artists and filmmakers to fashion models, Sebastian’s bar is a hotspot for all creatures hip, cool, and creative. Oh, and it’s also been awarded a place on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list for 2019.
Back in Sweden, Sebastian and his co-founder, Philip Stefanescu, were already shaking up the bar scene. Sebastian then received a job offer in Bangkok and brought along his friend. They quickly began making waves in the bar scene here too. You might have come to know Seb and Philip indirectly through your cocktails back in the days of Thonglor’s U.N.C.L.E, Touche Hombre, or Lady Brett. Fast forward a few years and they’re sitting in a bar in Bangkok discussing their love for tiki drinks (those tropical, juicy, rum-heavy cocktails). The next thing they knew, Tropic City was in the works.
Now, on the leafy, understated, and casually swinging Charoen Krung road, Sebastian’s world-famous bar is a neon-signed icon. The old house-turned-watering hole lined with wallpapers of palm trees and parrots is a refreshing break from the typical moody, glitzy “cool” bars of Bangkok. Sebastian was all about fun and escape for Tropic City. He’s made a killer playlist of soft hip hop and tropical house for the bar, while his cocktails – as expected – are real tropical treats.
We don’t know how he managed to come up with an idea for such a cool bar that managed to become one of Asia’s 50 Best Bars in less than two years of its opening – but we did find out a few other fun facts about Sebastian de la Cruz. With our 27 Questions, we got to know what most other interviews won’t tell you about this cool, laidback bar-creator.
[All images courtesy of Sebastian de la Cruz/Tropic City.]
“Everyday is a piña colada day”.
Gaggan’s at his lab.
Barack Obama.
Bellboy at a 5-star hotel.
Piña colada!
Back home in Sweden – I drive a bike here.
Night owl.
Not spending enough time with my sisters.
The traffic.
Rarely. I miss having a real kitchen at home.
Dying alone without friends.
Blue drinks and pink everything.
Superbad.
Either working at Tropic City or just Netflixing at home.
High school.
That list is too long…
My mum’s cooking.
When we received the mail from Asia’s 50 Best Bars saying that we made the list. That was pretty nice.
Karn Chatikavanij
Style Writer
A globetrotter with a love for sushi and Miu Miu, Karn is a fan of all things upbeat, delicious, and well-dressed. Her frequent activities include packing for beach trips, listening to 80s music, and trying to make daytime pyjamas happen.
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