Maya Black once again stirred and shook problems — the good kind, if one were being generous — for cocktail-loving night-dwellers perpetually chasing neon lights, good music and, crucially, well-made and distinctly imaginative cocktails for their ever-evolving taste buds. 

There is, of course, a limit to what a fintech entity can do on its own outside the neat boundaries of mixology competence. Money moves fast, but it does not, as a rule, shake, stir, or garnish. So, who better to call than the Problem Child itself to bridge this gap of controlled cocktail mischief?

Maya Black partnered with Makati cocktail bar Problem Child to bring out Maya’s green energy in full technicolor excess with a branding takeover pretending to be a marketing activation and more like a particularly stylish student rebellion with a credit line. 

Unveiled during the launch last April, the transformation was total. From the entrance to the hallways, from the bar proper to even the restrooms, yes, even there, it showcased a controlled explosion of aesthetic chaos, as if college kids with pent-up creativity and zero supervision were finally handed the keys. Maya Black ambassador Maris Racal added a flicker of star power to the night, gliding through the space like she had been rendered in marketing budget and good lighting.

It would not, however, be complete without the menu being entirely rewritten in the language of collaboration and intent. The result was “The Green Menu,” a kind of edible branding document that insists that you participate.

The selections were exactly as hyped — bold, a little cheeky, and refreshingly unafraid of itself. Anchoring the lineup was the “Okane” cocktail, named directly after the Japanese word for money, because of course it is. Maya Black, after all, is at the helm, and subtlety was never on the guest list. It also is knowing nod to a chorus that once colonized our social media feeds in 2024, Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba’s “Mamushi,” with its chant-like declaration that sings “Okane kasegu, orera wa sutā” (We make money, we are stars) and the drink was definitely the star of the moment.  A highball built on sake, muscat grapes, CO₂, and, just to keep things interesting, a sharp little kick of wasabi distillate. It is star power in liquid form, with a hint of sinus alarm.