Good Friends Club, Penang

About Good Friends Club

Good Friends Club is styled like an old-school Chinese kopitiam — metal tables, plastic chairs, tiles on the floor — but serves original cocktails built around Penang ingredients. Sitting next to Hin Bus Depot on Jalan Gurdwara, it draws an artsy, local crowd. DJ sets pop up on selected weekends, and the music swings from funk and soul to lo-fi house depending on who is behind the decks.

Cocktails cost RM45 to RM60 plus a 10% service charge. The vibe is intentionally low-key: no dress code, no pretension, no VIP section. The outdoor seating along the five-foot way is the best spot on warm evenings. Good Friends Club is a strong choice if you want to drink well without the volume or energy of a club. It stays open until 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays.

What to Order at Good Friends Club

The menu is split into two chapters. Chapter 01, the Signature Selection, builds each cocktail around one ingredient from Penang or the northern states, and the bar says about 85% of the ingredients (not counting the base spirits) are sourced locally. Chapter 02, the Classics Selection, gives familiar cocktails a local twist using ingredients repurposed from the signature drinks. Prices below are from the bar's printed menu in Malaysian Ringgit and are subject to a 10% service charge. Seasonal shots and zero-proof cocktails are available on request.

Chapter 01: The Signature Selection (RM50–55)

• White Dai-curry (RM50) — The menu's suggestion if you are not sure where to start: a daiquiri with a Penang white curry twist, made with rum, coconut, lemongrass, coriander seed, local chilli and lime, lightly savoury with a coconut finish.
• Laksa Negroni (RM50) — Inspired by Penang asam laksa: Roku gin, Campari and vermouth with tamarind, ginger torch flower, chilli, kesum leaf and local shrimp paste, so it is sweet, sour, spicy and bitter at once. Contains prawn.
• Air Itam Ginger Tea (RM55) — A take on the Penicillin made with Auchentoshan Three Wood whisky, ginger grown in Air Itam, local black tea, honey and lemon, topped with a milk meringue that recalls teh halia (ginger milk tea).
• Tropical King (RM55) — An Old Fashioned for people unsure about durian: rye whiskey with cempedak from Perak, Musang King durian and a house nutmeg and clove tincture. Contains durian.
• Rojak Platter (RM50) — Tequila and mezcal with mango and pineapple repurposed from local rojak and fruit stalls, plus jicama, calamansi, peanut and shrimp paste. Fruity and refreshing; contains prawn and peanut.
• That Purple Drink (RM50) — Based on the Nyonya black glutinous rice dessert, with rum, coconut, longan, pandan and black sesame, clarified so it drinks clean and fizzy.
• T-C-C (Teow Chew Chui) (RM50) — A Teochew-style Bloody Mary with tequila, George Town-grown tomato, Air Itam ginger, pickled mustard greens, salted plum and soy milk, served under coriander vapour like a steamed fish dish, without the fish.
• Ulam-Chazuke (RM55) — A dirty martini modelled on Japanese ochazuke, with gin, rice wine, umeboshi and buckwheat, using ulam raja, betel and turmeric leaves in place of green tea. It is served in pottery made by a local ceramicist.
• ABC Fizz! (RM55) — Ais kacang in Ramos Fizz form: whisky, amaro, Balik Pulau corn, rose, peanut butter, cream and condensed milk. A low-alcohol, dessert-style drink; contains peanut and dairy.
• Sugamamatini (RM55) — A softer Vesper with vodka, gin and dry vermouth, sweetened with sugarcane nira from Kelantan and flavoured with pandan and lemongrass.
• Banana Index (RM55) — Bourbon and Campari with pisang berangan banana from Air Itam; smoky and bittersweet.
• Chowrasta Bookstore (RM55) — Rye, cognac, Bénédictine and vermouth with Liberica coffee from Sik, Kedah and raw honey, finished with smoked agarwood. Contains caffeine.
• The Grandfather / Penang Uncle's Delight (RM50) — A twist on the Godfather inspired by the drinks of coffee-shop uncles (almond drink, Milo and stout): iichiko shochu, amaretto, cacao from Chemor in Perak, malt, local honey and hops, served on nitro like a small stout. Contains almond.
• Last Summer (RM50) — A tropical version of the Last Word with gin, a house herbal liqueur, maraschino, pegaga (pennywort) leaves, pandan, mint and lime, garnished with aiyu jelly.

The line-up rotates, so some drinks above may be renamed or replaced; the printed menu at the bar is the final word.

Chapter 02: The Classics Selection (RM45–60)

About 95% of the ingredients in the classics are local, repurposed or made in-house. The list is grouped by style:

• Sweet and sour — Side Car with Hennessy VSOP and house orange liqueur (RM50), Bees Knees with gin and Penang kelulut honey (RM55), Paper Plane with bourbon and a house amaro (RM50), and Porn Star Martini with vodka, local passion fruit and house Air Itam ginger beer (RM50).
• Spirit forward — Classic Martini with Tanqueray No. Ten (RM55) and Sazerac with rye and house-made absinthe (RM60).
• Fizzy — Nutmeg 75 with house nutmeg "champagne" (RM55), Dark & Stormy with house Air Itam ginger beer (RM50), Gin & Tonic with house tonic (RM45) and a low-alcohol Iced Americano with Campari, vermouth and a repurposed cacao and coffee soda (RM45).

Allergy notes are printed on the menu (prawn, peanut, dairy, almond, durian, caffeine), so tell the bartender about any allergies before ordering. As a guide, two signature cocktails for one person come to about RM120 after the service charge.

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