Morals with a little bit of malice

MANILA, Philippines -  Morals & Malice sounds more like the title of an Ang Lee film, but as the name of Cebu’s latest watering hole, it does intrigue and makes one want to check it out for good measure. Conceptualized, conceived and managed by four young gentlemen from Cebu – including world-renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue, marketing expert Paco Rodriguez, coffee connoisseur Glenn Soco and entrepreneur Joseph Michael Yu – the lounge bar does not disappoint. It carries a unique concept, it has beautiful interiors that would awe even jaded artists, and has ingeniously crafted cocktails that would get the nod of seasoned bar aficionados.

The place is divided into two areas – the lounge café (Morals) which is an all-day dining area and the bar (Malice) which opens at 6 p.m. and serves wonderfully crafted cocktails and pica-pica (bar chow). And they couldn’t be more contrasting in interior design.

Morals is a 25-square-meter lounge area that evokes nature at its most relaxing. One is immediately drawn to the small trees that spring out of the tables and the muted color scheme that interplays green, beige and brown. The glass walls, ingeniously accented by up-cycled Venetian blinds, give the small area a feel of openness.

On the other hand, the 90-square-meter Malice which used to house the Z Bar kept the organic cocoon made of steel, hand-tied bamboo and rattan that was originally designed and crafted by Cobonpue. It was his first full-scale organic installation, so the prospect of the artwork being dismantled when the bar closed down gave him an incentive to reopen the place as a new business venture. He revitalized the installation with new lamps, more dramatic lighting and new lounge furniture which makes the place more cozy and dramatic.

“I designed this ten years ago, but it looks like it could have been designed yesterday because it was rooted in nature and not in any particular style. The hand-tied bamboo is made to simulate molecules when they transfer from one state of of matter to another and at night glows like fireflies,” explains Cobonpue.

Indeed, the cocoon, complemented by Ed Calma’s onyx flooring, is so stunning it would be perfect as a set for a theatrical production at the CCP.

If the interiors provide an exceptional ambience, the stylish drinks certainly complement the unique concept of the place.

“Morals & Malice was created out of personal experiences we’ve each had abroad that we wanted to bring to Cebu, including a widely-practiced craft cocktail culture, while still keeping in touch with our Cebuano roots. This we do by making use of locally sourced and available ingredients in all our specialty drinks, including house infusions not usually found in other places,” explains Paco Rodriguez, Morals & Malice’s marketing and PR director.

“The result is a journey of the senses that starts with the artistic design that speaks volumes of world-class Cebuano creativity, to the burst of flavors in each handcrafted signature concoction to the sparkling tropical house and jazz playlist,” he adds.

My favorites among the Morals’ house specialties are the craft coffee cocktails Pumped Spice Latte, crafted white pumpkin rum with coffee liqueur and steamed milk topped with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon; Crema de Manga, a smoothie made of fresh Cebu mangoes with oatmeal cookies and cream cheese; and Morally Tea, lemon grass-infused black tea with local citrus calamansi honey.

“We use customized blends from the top coffee producing countries in the world – Brazil and Indonesia – as we want our clientele to taste the best coffee from the East and the West,” Glenn Soco shares.

At Malice bar, nothing is really malicious unless you become one after sampling all the intriguing concoctions by one of Manila’s best mixologists Kalel Demetrio and bar consultant Lee Watson. Their signature cocktails are made from plant-based home infusions and local ingredients crafted exclusively for the bar.   

“We have a lot of infusions aside from the usual syrups and these were made from scratch by our mixologist. Most of the ingredients are endemic in Cebu and he started creating Malice’s original mixes from there,” shared Operations and Finance director Joseph Michael Yu.

I had a sampling of their concoctions and my favorites are Fall of Adam, a mixture of muddled Granny Smith apples, rosemary syrup, Bombay gin, cilantro liqueur, honey, lemon juice finished with peach; Pomelo Spiced Mojito, Bacardi Silver rum, ginger syrup, mint, lime and citrus soda topped with pomelo; Burning Bush, ginger liqueur, fig syrup, Yoichi single malt whisky, Makers Mark bourbon, salinated herb, lemon and a burnt rosemary twig; and Oro de Plata, a golden silver mocktail treat with fresh mango goodness, basil, a hint of ginger and fizz to finish.

Kudos indeed to the four gentlemen of Cebu for the tremendous effort to create a world-class lounge bar that all Cebuanos should be proud of. It won’t be surprising if bar denizens from other places, even those from the Metro Manila bar scene, come to check out Morals & Malice, and discover that it is, indeed, the place to be.

Morals & Malice is located at the 2/F of Tinderbox along Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Banilad, Cebu City. Morals lounge is open everyday from 10 am to 10 pm, and Malice bar is open from 6 pm to 2 am on weekdays and until 3 am on weekends.