The Spirits Library — Restaurant in Makati

The Spirits Library was already on my wishlist to begin with; & since Bryan & Gab said I must go, I complied 🤩 Rushed from the airport from my night flight & made it in time for their Thursday jazz night (I might’ve used up all my karma for this).

It was packed at the bar, so I fought through the crowd to the stairs leading to the 2nd floor. For some reason, my anxiety was escalating but I managed to catch a smiling Berns & muster a “do you have a seat for 1, I’m not from here - I’m just a tourist who wants to have a drink & listen to nice music…..”

There are perks to just spending your time at 1 bar for the entire night - you get to try more of their menu. & you eventually get to move downstairs to the bar because it's a school night & you stayed 'til closing.

& then you like the drinks so much that when Cedric suggests we pop by again another night, you can’t say no.

They do classic cocktails too, but I prefer to have a taste of what’s special on the menu: 🔸 𝑨𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 - Bombay Sapphire gin, Chinese 7 spice, angostura bitters, Stanford Shaw ginger ale, cinnamon stick, absinthe spray

🔸 𝑷𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒐 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 - Tanqueray gin, apricot liqueur, maraschino honey, fresh lemon, orange bitters (this is one of the specials for Thursday jazz nights)

🔸 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑶𝒍𝒅 𝑭𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 - Benchmark bourbon, fennel & orange liqueur, angostura bitters, cardamom bitters, burnt star anise

🔸 𝑻𝒆 𝑨𝒎𝒐 𝑷𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒂 - Tequila reposado, Aperol, sparkling grapefruit pomelo, pink Himalayan salt rim,...

First of all, no name or number on the door. You have to be brought here by somebody who knows it.

Once you enter, it's an amazing place. See the photos. I was there with friends for pre-dinner drinks. Two rounds. Both time I asked the bartender to make me something "surprising and fun". He asked me for the liquor and the taste (sweet, sour, etc.).

First one I said whiskey and sour and he did me something over ice which tasted pretty good (but I couldn't exactly remember what were the other ingredients). But good overall. So I asked him to do something else fund - this time rum and sour. My friend said do it with the local Filipino rum (DonPapa?) and he also added the local calamansi liqour. And a bunch of other local ingredients. This one was much better than the 1st one. Shaken and served in a cocktail glass. I could have drunk another one or two if we weren't walking for dinner! Really excellent.

Overall, amazing ambiance. We were there early so not very noisy and we could chat. Drinks were great. I would...

The kind of place where the lighting hugs you and the shelves whisper stories of spirits waiting to be discovered. I visited on a Tuesday night, and the place had just the right crowd—not too busy, just perfectly chill. The kind of calm where you can truly soak in the mood and let time slow down a little. What truly stood out was the experience at the bar. Bartender Henry was an absolute maestro. I didn’t even glance at the menu. I simply told him how I was feeling and what kind of drink I was in the mood for. With effortless confidence and flair, he nodded, said “I know exactly what you need,” and went to work—first recommending a cocktail, then surprising me with another he crafted on the spot. Both drinks? Spot on. Smooth, layered, and made with intention. Henry’s intuitive understanding of flavor and mood is something special. If you're looking for a refined, intimate bar with personality, charm, and exceptional talent behind the counter, The Spirits Library delivers. Can’t...