A weekend in Finland’s capital

to reconnect, explore, and share pandan with the local bar community.

This month I (Marc Pieplenbosch, co-founder) travelled to Helsinki for a short but inspiring visit, meeting with our distribution partner Distillium and their Key Account Manager Tony Klarck. Together we explored the city’s vibrant cocktail culture and introduced Bandoeng’22 to a new group of bartenders and industry friends.

Exploring the city
Before our event on Sunday, Tony took me on a tour of bars and restaurants where Bandoeng’22 is already on the menu. At Le Grec I enjoyed a refreshing pandan-matcha cocktail. At Moss, a beautifully layered drink with pandan, rum, whisky and sesame.
And at Liberty or Death, a silky mix of tequila, pear, Japanese green tea, Bandoeng’22 and pandan foam, a perfect example of Helsinki’s creative flavor approach.

Trade Masterclass: Pandan
On Sunday we hosted our Pandan masterclass at Liberty or Death, bringing together some of Helsinki’s most eager and influential bartenders.
It was a deep dive into the heritage and flavor of pandan, exploring its culinary roots, its place in modern mixology, and why pandan plays such an important role in our Dutch Indonesian story. The session included tastings, discussions, and a guided sampling of pandan-based cocktails, with a great energy in the room.

Bar Take-over at Liberty or Death
In the evening, we returned to Liberty or Death for a full Bandoeng’22 bar take-over. The bar, the first opened by the team in the Helsinki Design District, has been shaping Helsinki’s cocktail culture since 2012 with its Brooklyn-inspired atmosphere, craftsmanship, and seasonal approach.

Our menu for the night featured five pandan cocktails:
– Sticky Pandan (bourbon)
– Holy Pandan (whisky)
– Pandan Ade (limoncello & Sicilian lemonade)
– Pandan Star Martini (vodka)
– Pandan Fight Club (rye)

Tony, a former bartender and our key contact at Distillium, stepped behind the bar for the guest shift, adding great energy to the evening.

Reflections
Helsinki impressed me. The level of cocktails is high, the bartenders are skilled, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. It was valuable to meet our partner Distillium on their home turf, share experiences, and see how Bandoeng’22 finds its place in the city’s flavor landscape. I’m already looking forward to returning and continuing to grow our presence in Finland, surrounded by hospitality, creativity, and of course, pandan.