Malaysia

Rohan Matmary brings award-winning credentials and a fresh energy to Bar Trigona at Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Coming on board as Bar Manager and Head Bartender, he is set to lead the beloved drinking destination, ranked three years in a row as the Best Bar in Malaysia, into an exciting new phase.

Building on Bar Trigona’s legacy of innovation and sustainability, Rohan is crafting an ambitious beverage program to further strengthen the connection between Four Seasons guests and Malaysian farmers who partner with the bar. Curated stories and immersive experiences promise to take patrons behind the scenes of the captivating cocktail menu – from star ingredient trigona honey to locally produced figs and bean-to-bar chocolate. On the cards are excursions to sustainable farms around Kuala Lumpur as well as an up-close discovery of Trigona Farm, the bar’s very own re-forestation initiative.

With a firm belief that cocktails should spark curiosity and reveal a strong sense of place, Rohan’s goal is to create drinks that capture “the vibrant pulse of Kuala Lumpur.” Along with under-the-radar local ingredients, guests can expect to taste unusual woody influences, from sandalwood to cedar – a great personal favourite for the Head Bartender.

“We have a brand-new menu as well as several interesting events in the pipeline. I’m especially excited about the New Year’s Eve countdown party, which we’ve already started planning! Guests can enjoy cool new cocktails and bites on this special night, along with exciting live entertainment,” he shares.

Prior to joining Four Seasons, Rohan served as head of beverages for Sidecar in Delhi, the first Indian bar to break into the World’s 50 Best Bars list, as well as Cocktails & Dreams, an acclaimed speakeasy known for its imaginative mixology. From 2017 to 2020, he was assistant general manager – beverages at Byg Brewski Brewing Company, where he oversaw a collective of microbreweries, cocktail bars and dive bars in southern India.

“As a young bartender, it was my dream to bring an Indian bar onto the global stage. Being part of that journey was an incredible experience,” says Rohan, who has also won numerous individual accolades, including the Diageo World Class Tanqueray Challenge Winner – Global 2021 and Glenfiddich World’s Most Experimental Bartender Winner – India 2018.

Over the course of his travels, he has forged valuable connections with fellow bartenders and industry leaders – “a network that is vital to my work.” Indeed, Bar Trigona’s annual calendar is set to feature guest shifts from top bartenders across Asia, offering a wonderful opportunity for guests to plug into the regional cocktail scene.

Originally from Mumbai, Rohan forayed into the world of mixology through part-time bartending stints during his university days in Bengaluru. His natural flair soon landed him a scholarship to study bartending from Switzerland, where he honed his craft with cutting-edge ideas and techniques, followed by a degree in international hospitality management from Queen Margaret University in Scotland.

Now, as Head Bartender at one of Asia’s most celebrated bars, his motto is simple: work hard, have fun, and take great care of your team, your partners and your guests. “With passion and integrity – and a couple of Negronis – everything falls into place!” he quips.

In the end, says Rohan, mixology is both art and science: “What makes a cocktail great, technically speaking, is a precise balance of ingredients and flavours. But I strongly believe every exceptional cocktail also needs a compelling story and a passionate bartender.”