Just as the sweltering days give way to warm nights, Kuala Lumpur truly comes alive.
Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, yet its cosmopolitan capital is packed with places to grab a drink.
Keeping pace with global trends, a wave of new specialty cocktail bars is riding high right now, many decked out in a modern speakeasy style, serving up twists on the classics alongside fresh inventions built around Southeast Asian flavors.
Partner links: booking through them supports the blog at no extra cost to you.
There are also sky bars with sweeping city views, dance clubs, craft beer joints and live music venues.
Whether you're after a laid-back lounge or a full-on party, here are some of the best spots to spend your nights in Kuala Lumpur.
FOR COCKTAILS
PS150
This Chinatown cocktail bar sits inside a colonial-era shophouse that was once a brothel.
The whole vibe is very "In the Mood for Love" with a dash of "Crazy Rich Asians": glamorous, illicit and whimsical all at once.
A vintage toy shop facade hides the entrance.
Make your way down a corridor lined with lovers' booths and through an earthy courtyard clad in wood and leather before stepping into the beating heart of PS150: the neon-lit bar.
The sign reads "Chee Cheong Kai," the Cantonese name for Petaling Street, a nod to the tapioca mills that once filled the area.
PS150 co-founder Angel Ng spent several months finding herself while living in Chinatown in her mid-20s, so the place is close to her heart.
The cocktail menu is playfully tucked into the exercise books that Malaysian schoolchildren typically use.
Try the vodka-based "Salty Chinaman," the "Lychee No. 3" martini or the "Assamboi" margarita (made with preserved plum).
On weekends, when it gets crowded, entry is limited, so make a reservation.
PS150, 150 Petaling Street, Chinatown, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +603 2022 2888
Omakase + Appreciate
O+A recently celebrated its fourth year in business. The only Malaysian bar on Drinks International's list of Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2016, it's hidden in the basement of an office building behind a "No Entry" door that looks like it might lead to a utility room.
It comfortably seats just 20 to 25 people, but there's no cover charge and no dress code.
Each bartender has their own cocktail menu, a way of keeping regulars coming back.
The menu changes every few weeks, but the Jungle Bird stays put.
This cocktail of rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice and sugar syrup was originally created in Malaysia in the mid-1970s at the Aviary bar of the old Hilton.
"Everyone knows the Singapore Sling. Now we want to champion the Jungle Bird," says O+A co-founder Shawn Chong.
The bar is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Omakase + Appreciate, Lower Ground, Ming Annexe, 9 Jalan Ampang, 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +603 2022 2238
JungleBird
At first you might be tempted to call it a tiki bar, but there's nothing tacky or tiki-kitsch about it.
There are no drinks with pink umbrellas, no girls in hula skirts and nobody torturing a ukulele.
There's bamboo and rattan furniture, wallpaper with green palm fronds, and the bartenders wear Hawaiian shirts, but it's all tasteful and understated, balanced by clean lines and modern touches.
Joshua Ivanovic, an Englishman who moved to Malaysia years ago and co-founded JungleBird, describes it as a "tropical rum house inspired by Old Malaya."
But there's one standout drink that isn't made with rum, and it's called "Closed on Mondays."
It's made with tequila, coconut milk, salted egg yolk, red chili and curry leaf syrup, and it's inspired by the salted egg squid, legendary among locals and tourists alike, from the Wong Ah Wah restaurant on Jalan Alor.
On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, DJs spin live sets of funk, soul, rockabilly, Motown, disco or hip-hop.
JungleBird, 15 Plaza Damansara, Jalan Medan Setia 1, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +603 2011 7715
Coley
Tucked away at the back of the DR.Inc cafe in Bangsar, this narrow cocktail bar is a neighborhood gem.
It also seems to be a bartenders' favorite.
CK Kho, the modest founder of Coley, is a veteran of the local bar scene with more than 15 years of experience.
He named the bar after Ada Coleman, the legendary creator of the Hanky Panky cocktail, who made her name at the American Bar of London's Savoy hotel in the early 20th century.
Coley has a retro-modern feel and sits somewhere between a bar and a cafe: spacious yet intimate, lively yet relaxed.
There's no pretense or fuss here.
"I wanted to create a bar where people could freely hang out at any time," CK says.
Try the Saffron Sour, the Kopi Old Fashioned, gin with coconut water or whisky with bubble tea.
Coley is closed on Sundays.
Coley, 8 Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar, 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +6019 270 9719
FOR THE VIEW
Heli Lounge Bar
The working helipad on the roof of Menara KH transforms into a bar from 6 p.m. every day, unless it rains.
You can soak up a 360-degree view of the city at sunset, unobstructed even by safety barriers.
Access to the helipad is through the accompanying bar on the tower's 34th floor, where you have to buy at least one drink before heading up two floors higher.
On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays after 9 p.m., helipad access requires bottle service or a minimum spend of 100 ringgit per person (about $23).
A strict dress code also applies during these hours: no shorts or sleeveless tops for men, and no flip-flops.
Heli Lounge Bar, Level 34, Menara KH, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +603 2110 5034
Coppersmith
Coppersmith is set in the shaded passageways between a wine bar and a restaurant in the stately Troika towers.
It's small but grand, with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Petronas Twin Towers.
Uniquely, the copper bar counter is built facing the wall, open to the occasional guest who might want to mix their own drink under a bartender's guidance.
The cocktails here look less like cocktails than works of art, each garnished with an edible decorative flourish.
The Copper Fairies is a blend of tequila, blueberry and black pepper syrup and sparkling wine, crowned with a delicate salted-caramel structure.
The Banana Rama is a banana beer mixed with Ron Zacapa rum, topped with a dried banana dipped in dark chocolate.
Coppersmith also serves small bites such as layered foie gras pies and doughnuts filled with smoked eel and caviar cream.
Coppersmith, 23rd floor, Tower B, The Troika, 19 Persiaran KLCC, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +603 2162 0886
FOR CLUBBING
TREC
TREC (Taste, Relish, Experience, Celebrate) is the largest entertainment complex in Kuala Lumpur, with clubs, bars, restaurants and venues for live music and comedy.
Its most famous resident is Zouk, which, according to several locals, is still one of the best clubbing spots in the city.
The superclub has been around for 13 years, constantly reinventing itself, and now boasts an impressive 11 rooms.
TREC is also home to Como, a Spanish restaurant-bar that hosts live music performances and DJ sets.
IKKI, a speakeasy-style bar with the look of an English gentlemen's club, serves Japanese-influenced cocktails and food.
There's also iPong KL, a beer pong bar, and Friendscino, a darts bar.
TREC, 436 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +603 2110 5095
Kyō KL
For a more low-key clubbing experience, there's the basement of the Mandarin Oriental hotel.
Originally founded in Singapore, Kyō means "vibe" in Japanese and was conceived as a haven for lovers of underground music.
It has a minimalist, luxe-industrial feel and plays house, techno, hip-hop, R&B, afro-funk or disco, depending on the day.
Both international and local talents perform here, and the venue has hosted artists such as Nick Warren from the UK and Octave One from Detroit.
Kyō, the main room, is open on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 p.m.
Ren, the smaller room, which also doubles as a cocktail bar in the early evening, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 6 p.m.
Club Kyō KL, Basement, Mandarin Oriental, off Jalan Pinang, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +6012 921 1730
FOR CRAFT BEER
Taps Beer Bar
The craft beer scene here is still in its infancy, but Taps leads the way with the largest selection of craft beer in the country.
Its lineup spans the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Southeast Asia.
There are also 15 beers on tap at any given time.
"We wanted to open a bar because we drank a lot as a family," says Alvin Lim.
He's one of five cousins who founded the place in 2011, and their uncle and his friends make up the resident live band that plays on Thursday through Saturday evenings.
Craft beer first-timers can order a tasting board of three beers from the tap.
Taps also puts on the annual Better Beer Festival in October.
Taps Beer Bar, A-0-3 One Residency, 1 Jalan Nagasari, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +603 2110 1560
FOR LIVE MUSIC
The Bee
The Bee has long been in the business of hosting an eclectic mix of live music performances, from local acts to international artists.
"We want good music, full stop," says Lim Kok Kean, also known as Bunga, of the music collectives Indiego and Twilight Actiongirl.
He's one of a group of creatives behind The Bee and the annual Urbanscapes music and arts festival, which this year runs from May 5 to 21.
Recent guests at The Bee have included The Temper Trap and the Japanese psychedelic punk band Bo Ningen.
A recent makeover gave the venue a bigger stage, a better sound system and a new DJ console.
It also gave the place a more rock 'n' roll edge, with neon song lyrics on the walls and a row of vintage pinball machines.
The Bee also hosts quiz nights, pun competitions, swing dancing and sneaker swap meets.
When there are no events on, The Bee operates as usual as a restaurant and bar.
The Bee, 36B Block C, Level G2, Publika, Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +603 6201 8577
Bobo KL
No Black Tie and Alexis Bistro Ampang are big names synonymous with live jazz in the city, but more intimate venues have recently emerged.
The top-floor piano lounge Bobo KL is an exercise in minimalist elegance, its earthy tones of gray concrete and warm wood balanced by sleek marble countertops and sumptuous drapes.
It feels like a private living room, with a small stage barely separated from the audience.
Guest musicians perform on Friday and Saturday evenings.
On other nights, except Mondays, resident pianist and singer David Gomez takes over the performances.
Bobo KL serves modern European food and desserts, along with a decent wine selection.
Bobo KL, 65-1 Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; +603 2092 5002
