Asia's got a knack for knowing the best ways to unwind, and we're diving into that vibe with "All Mixed Up." You'll find us in cool bars, drink in hand, escaping the tropical heat and spicing up our nights. With this series, we're exploring Asia's hottest bar scenes, chatting with the wizards behind the concepts and drinks — mixologists, bartenders, brewers, and more. Whether you're a cocktail whiz or just curious about the craft, we're serving up the stories behind the faces that fuel our nights out. So grab a drink and relax as we uncover the secrets behind our favorite bars. Trust us, these stories are best served chilled!

In honor of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 Award Ceremony, we will be highlighting the city’s top mixologists in our All Mixed Up series. To commemorate the long-awaited ceremony award on July 16, we are excited to introduce Philip Stefanescu, Co-founder of Tropic City.

In the first-ever tropical bar in Thailand, two Swedish bartenders, Philip Stefanescu and Sebastian De La Cruz introduced cocktail scenes in 2017.

We sat down with the mixologist to explore his journey from Sweden to Thailand, the history of Tropic City, and the Tropic Thunder event with The Daily Tot.

Can you introduce your bartending journey and F&B background to us?

My name is Philip Stefanescu. I've been bartending for almost 20 years now. I started in Stockholm when I was 18 years old, now I'm 36. The scene in Stockholm was very interesting back then. It was kind of when the cocktail scene started to merge in Scandinavia I would say. Then I landed in a really good cocktail bar where I had great mentors and learned the basics of the practice.

How did you meet your Co-founder Sebastian De la Cruz?

The scene was quite small. Everyone knew everyone. We met at a cocktail competition. So, we always knew each other, and we were in the same friend groups then we got offered a summer project to manage a rooftop Bar in Stockholm together.

We figured that we complement each other pretty well. I take care of the stuff he's not very good at and he takes care of the stuff I'm not very good at. We enjoyed working together for those three months.

What initially brought you to Bangkok?

[Sebastian] was actually the one who got an offer to move to Bangkok, so he called me. He's like, “I need to see you guys" (with my friend group) and he was like, “Philip, you're moving to Bangkok.”

I was not a big fan of Bangkok back then. I went backpacking when I was younger, and Bangkok was too big for [an] 18-year-old.

Then we moved, and there were only two cocktail bars in Bangkok. It was a very small scene. It was a bar called Vesper and a bar called Sugar Ray, both still there. We worked with a group and saw the potential and felt like everything was five years later than it was in Europe at that time. Yeah, so we had a cheat sheet basically [and] decided to go for it.

What inspires you to keep creating in your mixology career?

We have an amazing team over there. Arron’s been with us since we opened [and] we have two more bartenders [that have] been with the bar since we opened. So luckily, we haven't had to build a new team many times during these seven years. Everyone there, at least four or five out of eight, know Tropic City like their own pockets. They know every part of it, and they know our ideas and our style.

We're opening a new bar in two months in Bangkok as well so I'm focusing a little bit more on that part. I'm trying to make sure it has the same core mentality as it’s happening.

Can you share a little bit more about the concept behind Tropic City?

I think we're trying to mix Asian with European. A little bit more friendly and a little bit more laid back. Seven years ago, there was a very noticeable difference in the style of service and style of the bar, and no one would ever sit next to a guest and have a shot.

I think it's evolved now: the Asian style has become more of a mix of everything, taking the best parts of every region. That's why Asia has been the best for the last few years, I think the best in growth and the best in new concepts. We tried to instill from the beginning - don't be shy to talk to the guests like their friends.

For our bartending style, we're not super modern, we mix in elements of modern technique. We always have a few modern drinks on the menu, but it's always classic styles. We'll always have a blended drink on the menu like it's fun, it's good. We'll have some clarify, we'll have some carbonated drinks, but we'll also have a classic style.

In honor of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 Award Ceremony in Hong Kong, you are hosting a guest shift at The Daily Tot – can you share a little bit about the concept behind the evening?

Lately, we haven't done many guest shifts that are just drinks. We tend to bring music to the shift to give a bit of a full Tropic City experience.

This week is so full of guest shifts. So here we're just making drinks, there’s no music element, which is going to be a bit fun. You know, we've done so much music lately, so the bar side has maybe been forgotten a bit [laugh].

What are some of the unique cocktails you’ve crafted alongside Tropic City’s Bar Manager, Arron Grendon, and The Daily Tot’s Beverage Manager, Maikal Gurung?

We're making some really nice rum drinks. It's a new style, a bit of a classic style. We have a clarified carbonated wine drink that's rum-based with a lot of wine elements that we never had on our menu.

Then one coffee drink, one super fresh grapefruit drink. The coffee drink is a twist on something we have on our menu. The salted coconut cream with a cold brew, cinnamon base. People need their coffee!

What’s your go-to bar in Hong Kong?

Yeah, Honky Tonks for me because we’ve done so much with them and once randomly, I was here with my family and walked into Honky Tonks and Jake stood there with a Tropic City t-shirt. It makes me happy.

For our readers in Thailand, do you have a recommendation for first visitors to Tropic City?

My biggest recommendation would be to come into Tropic City and talk to the staff and get recommendations about the amazing food around that area.

We have two or three restaurants around that area that [are] hands down the best in Bangkok. A restaurant, just around the corner called Samlor, has amazing Thai food. I would make sure people have time to see the neighborhood, have some good food, walk the streets, and see the galleries around.

Do you have a personal favorite featured cocktail at Tropic City?

I love all my babies. Now, we have one drink on the menu that’s very Tropic City. It's called The Chronic Iced Tea.

It's a mix of a Piña Colada and a Missionary's Downfall. We blend everything with whole mint leaves to give it a lot of freshness. It's nothing fancy, nothing modern but just a very very tasty drink.

What’s next for you?

We're opening a new bar, so all my focus will be on that.

We're also doing a big consultancy in the middle of Bangkok as well. Our bar is in Thonglor, a small rooftop bar. The big consultancy is a big rooftop bar, so I think I'm going to be figuring out how to run bars. We're happy to be here, even though we're not on the list is on the 50 list this year. It's very exciting to see new bars coming up.

I’m lucky and fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with my family. And these days that's a kind of everything is aimed at spending as much time as possible with them. Work smart, so I have more time to spend with the family.

If I want the new bar open, I will do service for the first time in a very long time. I might lose some weight and I might become decent at bartending again!

The new project is a fresh start of everything we failed at with Tropic City, we can now implement and do it right for the new bar. It's going to be interesting. Arron is a partner for the bar as well, so hopefully he has that hunger that me and Sebastian had when we opened Tropic City.

Thank you so much for sharing!

Thank you!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Enjoyed this article? Check out our previous All Mixed Up profiles here.