Though Bangkok has been surging back to life, its nightlife venues remain barred from opening, much to the pain of their owners.
Now a trendy cocktail bar is eschewing the booze in favor of getting patrons high on a drug that until recently meant going to jail. The bartenders behind Teens of Thailand have announced they are now open again as “Tom of Thailand,” named for the psychoactive kratom now found in their drinks.
“Tom of Thailand is now open, brothers and sisters. If you want to know what we’re selling, please stop by,” the bar wrote Friday on its socials. “We don’t care anymore since we’ve shut our bars for months and nearly starved to death.”
The bar, which previously adapted by selling dim sum and spicy noodles, is open during the day from 1pm until 8:30pm.
Kratom was formerly listed as a Class 5 narcotic before legalization in August, allowing everyone in Thailand to grow and sell the new cash crop.
In Bangkok, bars and entertainment venues have been ordered shut since the third-wave outbreak in April. While many venues such as malls, gyms, cinemas and massage parlors were allowed to reopen this month, on-site alcohol is still banned, and bars remain shut until further notice.
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