That a cocktail bar exists in Cubao, Quezon City is noteworthy on its own, but for that cocktail bar to be nailing the job—that deserves a few raised glasses. Which you wouldn’t mind shelling out for at the four-year-old INT.Bar in Cubao X.

If their Breaking Bad is an indication—that’s a refreshing bourbon-based drink with blueberry, basil and lime—the Hollywood -themed menu should have more hits up its sleeve. The Annie Hall sounds interesting—lemon peel infused gin, triple sec and apple cider vinegar, cinnamon bark syrup, lemon and egg white. But if you can no longer stomach anything Woody Allen (warning: there’s also a drink called Café Society), the Cast Away might be a good alternative—rum with green chartreuse, angostura, coconut water, lemon and soda. Sounds like a comforting drink for days that feel like you’re on a deserted island.

To our surprise, INT.Bar has been around since 2018 and has even given birth to a coffee shop next door called—what else—EXT.Cafe. “The founders wanted a timeless bar that served reasonably priced but quality cocktails,” says businessman/photographer Wilson Co who runs the establishment with JD Yu, Mara Ravelo, and Nico Recasata, a chef who took the lead in creating the cocktails. Co adds the bar is a way for them to serve QC residents “interested in quality cocktails but are too busy or lazy to drive through traffic to other locations in the metro.”

A cocktail bar might be the last thing we imagined will spring a surprise in Cubao X but here we are. On a Saturday night, the compact two-story space is just busy enough to offer a ready seat, or two, at the bar to guests just walking in. The walls are deep green, the lighting not overly dim. The crowd decidedly Millennial to Gen Z. The overall relaxed, unpretentious vibe making it fit right into the cool and much-missed Cubao X landscape.