This coffee shop turns into a bar when the sun sets

MANILA -- Most coffee shops offer the same things like coffee and pastries. But there's a new coffee joint in town that also offers old fashioned, negroni, whisky sour, and other cocktails. A shop that has a full bar beside its espresso machine and pastry rack.

Black Sheep Coffee at Conrad S Maison in Pasay City is the newest coffee shop concept to open in the country. This brand originates from London, UK and the branch in Manila is its first international shop.

Just by looking at the interiors, customers can already see the difference compared to popular coffee chains. It has a rustic and industrial look with a lot of artworks on the walls. Of course, the bar with a full shelf of spirits and liquors also grabs attention.

“The concept is third wave coffee but more commercialized. Third wave coffee shops usually just have one to two stores. We want to follow the commercial coffee shops but still want to offer specialty coffee. We feel that the market is more mature now and people are starting to appreciate single origin coffee, specialty coffees, and even the big coffee chains have their specialty offering,” explained Black Sheep Coffee master franchiser in the Philippines Anderson Hao.

“And we have a bar,” he added

They found the brand in 2016 when a friend referred it to them while traveling in Europe. The brand was very new then with only two shops in London. Today, it has grown into a chain with more than 30 shops around the UK.

“We tried it and we found it very interesting, especially the concept. After work the mood changes and it turns into a bar. We found it really cool. It's very unorthodox, the music is different and the people are so casual,” Hao said.

The store offers coffee made from single origin beans. The beans are sourced from India, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, and Peru, then roasted in London.

One of its specialty coffee is called Black Hoof, the shop's version of the bulletproof coffee. Instead of butter, Black Sheep Coffee mixes coconut oil in a latte-style drink then adds cinnamon for more flavor.

Their coffee drinks are best paired with freshly baked pastries like cookies, brownies, and sweet cakes like the Snicker Doodle mini cake.

The shop also offers non-coffee drinks like the London Fog, their version of milk tea. There's also a peanut butter hot chocolate drink for chocolate lovers and other ice blended drinks.

Every day, when the sun sets (the shop overlooks Manila Bay), the mood in the coffee shop changes and becomes a bar. The music changes as well to really set the tone each night.

“We serve very good and very authentic coffee in the morning and then at nighttime we serve very good cocktails and spirits. We are proud of our selection because our customers, especially the foreigners tell us we have one of the best liquors and spirits. We serve it very strong. The others are too watered down and they use cheaper spirits,” Hao said.

What the bar tries to promote are the “forgotten cocktails” or classic cocktails that are not very popular today like the old fashioned and negroni.

“Specially here in the Philippines when you say cocktails what people know the common ones like mojito. We want to focus on the European classics,” he explained.

But the store also offers original mixes like the Summer Paradise, a sweet and colorful cocktail. There's also the See You Tomorrow cocktail which is a mix of seven different spirits that include vodka, tequila, two kinds of rum (white and dark), triple sec, gin, and whisky mixed with a citrus juice.

What's also unique about the Philippine branch is aside from having a bigger store footprint, it offers savory waffle sandwiches, special cakes, and hot meals. They recently added a new food menu created by chef Rob Pengson. It's a collection of healthy, organic meals like pan-seared salmon with vegetables and sauteed red beans; and pan fried chicken breast with gravy, red beans and vegetables.

Moreover, the coffee shop has live entertainment during Tuesdays, street magicians on Saturdays, and comedy nights once a month. And there's free popcorn every night.

“We have louder music and that's part of the ambiance, the package of the brand. It's fun and it's not your ordinary coffee shop,” Hao said.