Siem Reap: Sombai Cocktail Class & Liqueur Tasting Workshop
What does it take to make a Cambodian liqueur taste like that?
You'll make three cocktails under a bartender's eye, taste eleven Sombai expressions at the production workshop, and learn the story of how the liqueur gets made. Local snacks keep pace with the tasting. The bartender is native to Siem Reap, so you get real answers about the city and the culture behind what you're drinking, not a script.
Step-by-step itinerary
Sombai cocktail class and workshop visit
- Visit Sombai workshop in Khmer house
- Learn cocktail making from bartender
- Make and drink three cocktail recipes
- Taste eleven Sombai liqueur flavors
- Enjoy local snacks during tasting
- Discuss Khmer culture and travel tips
The experience
The answer lives in a wooden house in Siem Reap, where Sombai (the local liqueur that tastes like tropical fruit and a little bit of history) gets made in small batches. You walk in, a professional bartender greets you, and within minutes you're learning to build three cocktails from scratch, each one using a different expression of the liqueur. It's not a lecture. It's hands-on, and the bartender is from Siem Reap, so the conversation drifts naturally from technique to what the city is actually like beyond the temples.
The workshop visit comes next. You move through the mini-factory (charming, not industrial), and taste your way through more than eleven flavors. Some are obvious (mango, passion fruit), others catch you off guard. Local snacks come out as you taste, which keeps your palate honest and your stomach from spinning. The bartender talks about where each ingredient comes from, why certain fruits work, what makes Sombai different from the liqueurs you'd find elsewhere. It's the kind of detail that sticks with you after the class ends.
The whole thing runs two to three hours, depending on how much you want to linger with questions. If you're traveling with someone who doesn't drink, they come free and still get the snacks and the tour. They just skip the tasting part. Children are welcome as long as an adult stays with them. The class happens in a typical Khmer house, which means the space itself teaches you something about how people actually live here, not in a hotel or a tourist center.
What’s included
Your class includes three cocktails you make yourself under a bartender's instruction, entry to the Sombai production workshop, a tasting of more than eleven liqueur flavors, and local snacks to pair with the tasting. If you're traveling with a non-drinker, they attend free and enjoy the snacks and workshop tour.
Information
Lasts 2h, runs every day at 17:30, from US$ 24 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 8 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.
Prices and times updated 8 days ago
Operated by SOMBAI
Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to learn something about Cambodian flavor and culture without signing up for a full-day tour. The bartender is local and the class is small enough that you actually get to talk, not just listen.
Traveler reviews
Compare the 6 alternatives
- 3,378 reviews
- 4.98★
- Duration
- 3h
- start times · Every day
- 3
- 112 reviews
- 4.89★
- Duration
- 1h 15m
- start times · Every day
- 9
- 861 reviews
- 4.96★
- Duration
- 3h
- start times · Every day
- 3
- 269 reviews
- 4.91★
- Duration
- 3h
- Every day
- 09:30
- 154 reviews
- 4.92★
- Duration
- 2h 30m
- start times · Every day
- 2
- 20 reviews
- 4.75★
- Duration
- 2h
- start times · Every day
- 4
Top questions
How long is the Sombai cocktail class?
Two to three hours, depending on how much time you spend tasting and asking questions.
What exactly do you make in the class?
Three cocktail recipes, each one using a different Sombai liqueur. The bartender teaches technique and you make them yourself.
How many flavors of Sombai do you taste?
More than eleven. You taste them at the workshop, paired with local snacks.
Is this class suitable for non-drinkers?
Yes. Non-drinking companions attend free, get the snacks and the workshop tour, and skip the tasting portion.
Can children attend?
Yes, children can come if accompanied by an adult. Infants can be brought in a pram or stroller.
What's included in the price?
Three cocktails you make, workshop entry, tasting of eleven-plus liqueur flavors, and local snacks.
Where does the class take place?
In a typical Khmer house in Siem Reap, where you learn to make cocktails and then visit the production workshop.
Siem Reap: Sombai Cocktail Class & Liqueur Tasting Workshop
2h · EN
from US$ 24 per person