Merry Wong
May 20, 2025
In Karangasem, tradition is not something displayed—it is lived. It rises with the morning tide, it stirs in the trees, and it lingers in the warmth of Arak, the ancestral spirit of East Bali. At Ocean Bar, the gentle open-air bar nestled within the coconut groves of Alila Manggis, this time-honoured distillation is not merely served—it is reawakened.
Arak is many things. A spirit fermented from the sap of palm blossoms or rice, once distilled by villagers for ceremonies and quiet gatherings. It is sharp and clear, with echoes of woodsmoke, earth, and sun. Yet in the hands of our resident bartender, it becomes something entirely new: familiar, but unspoken. Rooted in heritage, yet shaped by vision.
Each evening, as the golden hour folds into night, guests are invited to sip from a collection of bespoke cocktails crafted from locally sourced Arak and infused with herbs from our garden—lemongrass, torch ginger, kaffir lime, turmeric flower. The result is a drink that carries the soul of East Bali in every drop. It is not fast. It is not loud. It is slow. Layered. Thoughtful.
The bar itself invites this stillness. Set beneath swaying palms with views toward the ocean’s edge, Ocean Bar is a place of retreat and reconnection. The soundtrack is the breeze. The rhythm, the sea. Here, conversation lingers, and each cocktail is a quiet story of land, labour, and craft.
As part of our ongoing celebration of local traditions, our bar team continues to explore the forgotten languages of flavour—not only through Arak, but also through fermented fruit, house-made shrubs, and Balinese-inspired bitters. There are no theatrics. Only ingredients with meaning, offered with grace.
To drink here is not simply to taste—but to feel the presence of a place. And in that feeling, something rare is found: a memory without words, held in the warmth of a glass at the edge of the sea.
Alila Manggis
Desa Buitan, Manggis, Karangasem Regency, Bali 80871
Phone : +62 363 41 011
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