Punch Island Bar

Located on the balcony of Food Studio at Colombo City Centre, Punch Island Bar brings a little bit of the Colombo night life to the Colombo City Centre Food Court, where you can enjoy yummy food from any of the vendors inside, and then proceed out doors for some music, city lights , and some of the best priced cocktails in town.

Drinks

Cocktails

Yuzu Gin and Tonic – LKR 1000

Yuzu is a citrus fruit with a flavour similar to grapefruit with overtones of mandarin orange. Gin and tonics are a classic and are slightly bitter in flavour – although interestingly enough the combination of the 2 ingredients is far less bitter than the individual ingredients alone. This cocktail was delightful, citrusy and light – with the yuzu flavour really shining through making it much lighter and sweeter than a regular gin and tonic. Befitting of a tropical environment or a rooftop bar, this evocative cocktail had to be one of my favourites for the night.

Pumpkin Spiced Negroni – LKR 1200

Negronis are a popular Italian cocktail with bitter, fruity, spiced notes that make it a perfect sipping drink. As far as Negronis go this was a really good one, made from Dry Gin, Campari, Frangelico, Pumpkin spice and Cinnamon this drink is smooth, a little sweet and spicy and has a bitter after taste. Intrigued by the pumpkin spice flavouring the combination of pumpkin spice and cinnamon gave the negroni a very mild heat suggestive of the mulled wines typically consumed during the Christmas holidays.

Long Island Iced Tea – LKR 1200

Long Island Iced Teas are best known for being the fastest way for people to get ‘LIIT’ on a night out. Made with vodka, white rum, dry gin, tequila, triple sec this drink is usually one of the most expensive drinks on any menu, however, the ones here are some of the cheapest in town! This long island was strong, and sweeter than some of the long islands I’ve had, though being strong this wasn’t hard to drink. Well balanced and sweet this drink went down smooth and a lot faster than we realised.

Tiki Punch Cocktail – LKR 1000

If you’re a fan of minty drinks then this is perfect for you – super fresh and minty this drink is summery (especially with the ombré green hue) and perfect for a hot day, or even a date (so you can remain minty fresh). Made with vodka, pineapple juice, lime and mint, the sweetness of the pineapple juice intermingled with the brightness of the mint was an interesting flavour combination, which divided our group. However, it should be noted that this drink should be consumed ice cold because once the ice melts and it warms up a bit, it tastes like sweet toothpaste.

Margarita – LKR 1000

One of the most popular drinks at any bar, a good measure of how good a bar is can be seen from how well they make the classics (i.e. a margarita). Consisting of tequila, triple sec, and lime, this margarita was fresh, zesty, and delicious, for all intents and purposes it’s a good margarita. The rim wasn’t overly salted, it wasn’t too sweet or too sour, in fact there was a mild bitterness from the limes which was pleasant, its well-balanced flavours and large size made us very happy customers.

Mocktails

For the non-drinkers or designated drivers, Punch Island Bar also has a long list of delicious sounding mocktails.

Frozen Rita – LKR 650

Everyone gets just a little excited at the thought of a frozen margarita, with its beautiful tumble of blended ice placed in a margarita glass, however here the drink wasn’t presented in a margarita glass, which was a little disappointing. However as far as taste goes it was enjoyable, and comparable to a lemonade crossed with a Popsicle. The salted rim offset the lime-y sourness of the frozen drink, which was fun and yummy.

Strawberry Sangria – LKR 650

Consisting of a few different flavouring syrups this drink tasted like candy and strawberry cordial with hints of freshness from the fruits added into it,. It was a little too sweet for our group, however it was filled with fruit which were a delight to chew on as you drank. This wasn’t one of our favourites, but it wasn’t all bad, if it was less sweet it would have been a firecracker.

Passion Fruit Sparkler – LKR 650

One of their more popular mocktails, the passion fruit sparkler was fresh, light and tart – made with passion fruit syrup, fresh passion fruit, lemon juice, orange juice and soda, this mocktail was like a fizzy passion fruit juice making it perfect to pair with dinner or snacks or to have at the beachside. The sparkler was incredibly refreshing and the flavour of passion fruit really shone through, served in a mason jar this mocktail was quite large and well worth its price despite its simplicity.

Blueberry Sorbet – LKR 650

This mocktail was so delicious and bursting with sweet blueberry flavour! The flavour profile whilst sweet, had a zesty-ness to it from the orange. Coming to the table coloured bright purple it was also incredibly pretty! This was a blended drink and so if you’re fast you can scoop it up and eat it like an actual sorbet, it tasted like something between a fruity bubble-gum and the Magic berry flavoured ice cream – it was delicious, a little thick and creamy and very dessert like.

Ambience

The ambience at Punch Island Bar is located on the balcony of the Food Studio at Colombo City Centre, you’re greeted by the view of the Colombo skyline and the Beira Lake, once the sun starts setting and the night arrives, the city lights can be quite a sight. Fun and light, the vibe outside is typical of any rooftop bar come happy hour, with groups of friends making merry and enjoying the upbeat music they have playing. The balcony area has ample seating that can fit around 50 people and there’s some open space if you feel like dancing.

Service

The service here was wonderful, all the drinks came out speedy and the bar manager Randy was friendly and attentive, and the barmen and staff were all very patient and welcoming – they really knew how to sell their drinks and their recommendations were all fabulous.

Tip – They have one of the cheapest Long Island Iced Tea’s in town so if you’re looking to get ‘LIIT’ – this drink will get you there.