Cocktail hour: Moon Bar

Order a cocktail and enjoy a 360-degree open-air panorama of Bangkok city. Photo / Instagram

Moon Bar, 61st floor, Banyan Tree Hotel, Sathorn, Bangkok

The view: This is why you really come to this bar - the cocktails are a tasty footnote.

From the 61st floor of the Banyan Tree hotel you can enjoy a vertigo-inducing 360-degree open-air panorama of Bangkok city.

At night, the surrounding high-rise buildings are lit up like Christmas trees and the traffic jams below appear far less stressful from this aspect.

There is a platform where friendly staff will take an obligatory picture of you with the view in the background - no selfie sticks needed here!

The vibe: There is a dress code: no shorts or sneakers. But otherwise, the bar has a relaxed, classy vibe, with lounge music playing in the background.

As well as the circular centre bar in the middle of the rooftop, a separate platform plays host to the adjoining Vertigo Restaurant's outdoor diners.

There are gasps as new guests filter on to the bar's platform and take in the view, and of course, a full photoshoot before they settle in for drinks.

We arrived early on a Wednesday evening, just in time to see the sunset. The bar was about 50 per cent full but became busier as it got later and darker.

The chat: Extremely polite and hospitable staff, who offered to take photos of us enjoying our drinks with the view in the background (clearly they are used to this).

The menu: The cocktail choices are presented on an iPad and there is a generous selection of "Usual Suspects" and signature cocktails, as well as an extensive wine list with a smattering of New Zealand wines.

The Cigar and Spirits menu is an interesting one - you can order a nice Remy Martin with your Montecristo, if that's your bag.

The expectation: Expectations were definitely high (literally), but there was no disappointment with either the view or the cocktails. We ordered the Siamese Batida (Capucana Cachaca, passionfruit, honey, mango puree, coconut milk), and the Golden Eight (Bacardi Ocho Anos Reserva, Bacardi Carta Oro Gold, Benedictine D.O.M, lime).

At $32 and $34 respectively, there is no question these are prices that reflect your surroundings.

The reality: My Siamese Batida was the more eye-catching of the two, and came presented in a bag of sorts, which sat in a glass and was garnished with a purple orchid.

Thankfully, it was as tasty as it was pretty, and was the fresh, fruity vibe I had been craving to cut through the searing Thai temperatures. The Golden Eight also didn't disappoint, and was nicely presented in a martini glass.

The bar staff diligently made sure we had a steady supply of wasabi peas and spicy cashews to enjoy with our drinks (and to combat the vertigo). It's absolutely worth the effort to visit Moon Bar and sit among the rooftops of Bangkok.

- Courtney Whitaker