Before Shangri-La Kunming opens its doors, the hotel would already have revealed its first thesis statement, writ in glass... Well, poured in glass, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Sitting at China’s southwest is Yunnan. That province also borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, which makes it famous for its biodiversity—one of the richest on the planet—and its cultural multiplicity. There are 25 officially recognised ethnic minorities that include the Dai, Bai, Naxi, Hani, and Lisu.
So how do you summarise such a faceted location? Should one even bother?
The brains behind SUMA is SG Group international cocktail trailblazer Shingo Gokan’s bar, restaurant and consultancy company. Its general manager Michael Chen refers to SUMA as “a love letter to Yunnan,” which reads like an apt response in trying to encapsulate a province. Steeped in all things Yunnan, the bar’s corridor is inspired by Yunnan’s aboriginal tribes, with handwoven textile panels, engraved stonework, and carved wooden detailing that draw from Yunnan’s many tribes. The visual codes of the “Yi, Bai, Naxi, Lisu, Jingpo and Hani” cultures, create a coming-together of a rich cultural tapestry.
A tented, patterned material, hand-painted floral panels border a lighted ceiling of the indoor bar lounge. To one side of the space are velvet banquettes, and anchoring the room is a hanging sculptural centrepiece, reminiscent of traditional Yunnanese lanterns.
SUMA—meaning “azalea” and “woman” in the Yi language—is overseen by bar manager Frankie Zou, one of the many leading voices in China’s contemporary cocktail culture. In a bid to distil Yunnan through layered flavours in a glass, guests will sample the province’s spirit through 20 cocktails. The menu, in the shape of a fan with rotating segments, consists of key flavour notes—spiciness; umami; bitterness; fruity and floral—as a way for guests to delve into Yunnan’s story.
As the most immediate expression of this ethos, the Nanpie Mule is built on the herbaceous Dai dipping sauce. Notes of spice, citrus and sawtooth herb are layered over Linglie Vodka and SG KOME Shochu.
A twist on the Old Fashioned is the Yak Butter Fashioned, and it tastes better than its nomenclature. Merging whisky and MUGI shochu with roasted pu’er and actual yak butter, it is a spirit-forward drink.
Our favourite is the Tree Tomato Tree. With Jiao-Yu Gin, the cocktail has tamarillo, yellow tomato, and mastiha (a resin from the mastic tree) added to it. It’s like drinking a Caprese salad. The Cucumber Salad is another green-heavy cocktail, with Wild Mist Gin, spiced rum, and, of course, cucumbers. It’s light and goes down well.
As a sugar fiend, we veered towards the non-alcoholic Dianhong Bubble Tea. It’s a concoction made of black tea, coffee honey, chai spices, and Eisbock milk with real boba added to the mix. It feels like you can leave the premise for some of the cheaper bubble tea fare, but at SUMA, you can add rum like the adult that you are.
Already, you feel a certain confidence at SUMA, an assurance usually reserved for the lao jiao bars in Hong Kong or Singapore. With Yunnan as a biodiversity hotbed, speciality ingredients abound, SUMA is a perfect destination bar, a sandbox for creative cocktails.
SUMA is located at 5th Floor, No.88-1 Dongfeng East Road, Panlong District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province
