Cocktail Daily- Matcha Colada I Cosmo Pony, Jakarta

Rum / Kurasu Matcha / Cascara Tea / Pineapple Juice / Coconut Milk Whey

Located on the fourth floor of Grand Hyatt Jakarta, Cosmo Pony is Singapore-based Jigger & Pony Group’s first international venture, created in partnership with Indonesia’s The Union Group. The bar officially opened on July 10, 2024, with Silvio Daniele, formerly of Gibson and Jigger & Pony, serving as General Manager. Inspired by the atmosphere of a mid-century lounge, the space combines marble, brass, wood, and warm-toned materials, reimagining the conventional hotel bar as something closer to an urban living room and evening social salon.

Cosmo Pony quickly established itself on Asia’s cocktail map, debuting at No. 38 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2025 before climbing to No. 15 in 2026. Its second menu, COCKTAIL POWER, continues the bar’s menuzine-style presentation while reframing the idea of “power” through connection, creativity, and the cultural energy of the city. Each drink explores intersections between local ingredients, global flavors, and community.

The Matcha Colada begins with the familiar Piña Colada framework of rum, pineapple, and coconut, but rather than simply amplifying tropical fruit and creamy richness, it introduces Kurasu matcha and cascara tea, bringing herbal character, tea-like depth, and a touch of tannic structure into a style traditionally associated with roundness and sweetness.

What makes the drink especially interesting is that Cosmo Pony does not treat tea merely as another flavoring ingredient. In the menu section titled “Don’t Spill the Tea,” the collaboration is framed around a shared philosophy: whether working with tea or cocktails, craftsmanship is ultimately about care, balance, and respect for process. Kurasu’s role in the drink therefore feels less like a simple crossover ingredient and more like an intersection between two different drinking cultures built on a similar approach to craft.

Kurasu originated in Kyoto and expanded into Jakarta in 2023. Its development in Indonesia carries forward Japanese brewing traditions while creating a distinctly local identity through space, craftsmanship, and community. Kurasu itself describes its Jakarta presence as a meeting point between Kyoto sensibility and the rhythm of the city, with ideas of calm, connection, and shared experience forming part of its identity.

The Kurasu Ceremonial Blend used in the cocktail does more than add a striking green layer. Cosmo Pony describes it as offering pronounced bitterness and umami, balanced by natural sweetness and aroma associated with cultivars including Saemidori, Samidori, and Yamakai. Kurasu likewise positions bitterness, umami, natural sweetness, and fragrance at the heart of the blend. Its matcha is sourced from the Kansai region and processed in Kyoto, while the precise cultivar composition may vary depending on season and availability.

In the cocktail itself, the matcha is not simply blended into the liquid. Instead, it is transformed into a layer of matcha foam resting on top. The first impression is therefore green, vegetal, gently bitter, and savory, while the body underneath remains rooted in pineapple, coconut, and rum. This layered construction makes the matcha more than an added flavor; it actively controls the order in which the drink is experienced.

More importantly, the bitterness and umami of the matcha provide a counterweight to the naturally softer profile of a traditional Colada. Pineapple and coconut tend to push the drink toward sweetness and roundness, while the matcha introduces dryness and vegetal tension from the top. Cascara adds another dimension of tea-like character, dried-fruit notes, and subtle tannin, giving the tropical fruit more structure than sweetness and acidity alone.

Coconut milk whey further reworks one of the defining elements of a classic Colada: texture. It preserves the flavor connection to coconut without relying entirely on the dense richness of coconut milk or cream, allowing the overall structure to feel lighter and more fluid.

The menu also positions the Matcha Colada as a lower-ABV cocktail. Havana Club 7 therefore does not need to dominate the drink. Instead, the aged rum provides depth and an underlying framework, tying together pineapple, coconut, cascara, and matcha.

Seen from this perspective, the most compelling aspect of the Matcha Colada is not simply the idea of placing Japanese matcha into a tropical cocktail. It is the way two approaches to craftsmanship, balance, and process are brought together in the same glass. The restraint associated with Kyoto tea culture and the more playful energy of Jakarta’s cocktail scene remain distinct, yet complementary.

Tasting Notes

Aroma:
The matcha foam leads with green, vegetal, and herbal aromas, accompanied by impressions of gentle bitterness and umami. Pineapple, coconut, and the warmer notes of aged rum gradually emerge underneath. Positioning the matcha as the aromatic first layer, rather than fully integrating it into the drink, is an important part of the cocktail’s structure.

Palate:
Pineapple establishes the familiar tropical core of a Colada, while coconut milk whey retains the rounded character of coconut in a lighter form. As the matcha foam joins the liquid, vegetal notes, umami, and gentle bitterness begin to intervene. Cascara adds another layer of tea-like depth and subtle tannin, giving the fruit and sweetness greater definition.

Finish:
The drier, gently bitter tea character of matcha and cascara gradually tightens the sweeter impressions of pineapple and coconut. The aged rum remains underneath, contributing warmth and depth without taking over the finish.

Overall:
The Matcha Colada does not abandon the tropical DNA that makes a Piña Colada immediately recognizable. Instead, it redistributes the weight and sequence of its flavors. Pineapple and coconut provide familiarity, Havana Club 7 creates the backbone, cascara adds structure, and Kurasu matcha brings bitterness, umami, and vegetal character that pull the drink toward a drier, more layered tea-driven profile.

Rather than simply being a “matcha-flavored Piña Colada,” it feels more like a contemporary reinterpretation of the Colada, using tea craftsmanship and flavor structure to rethink the drink’s balance, texture, and progression.

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