Drink: Old Boy at SouthGate

There are overt flourishes on the cocktail menu at SouthGate that put an Asian stamp on some familiar drinks, from sake in the punch to soju in the Korean 76 and persimmon-soaked rye in my second-favorite cocktail here, the P&P with vermouth and plum bitters.

But I especially loved the subtle and suave layers of the drink called Old Boy.

To begin with, the name is a sly reference to the 2003 South Korean mystery thriller cult film Oldboy, a nod to SouthGate's owners' heritage.

But the secret here is Japanese, an exceptional 12-year-old single-malt from historic Yamazaki, whose Scotchlike whiskey takes on distinctly Asian tones of fruit (melon) and a hint of incense from the Japanese wood.

It's rarely used in cocktails because of its character and expense ($20 a straight pour here), but bartender Juan Bustamante finds ideal complements with a hint of citrus bitterness from Aperol, nutty sweetness from Amaro Nonino, herbaceous Benedectine, and a smoky spritz of Laphroaig that rattles around the giant ice cube at the center of this drink until the glass is sipped dry.

- Craig LaBan
Old Boy, $15, SouthGate, 1801 Lombard St., 215-560-8443; www.southgatephilly.com.