Yardstick's New Makati Branch Serves Exclusive, Out-of-the-Box Drinks + Kakigori

Yardstick
107 Building, Aguirre Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City
www.instagram.com/yardstickcoffee
Open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday

(SPOT.ph) "Gagi, you've never heard of Yardstick? Well, sabagay, if you know, you know lang. Parang siyang secret spot in Makati!"

Have you heard this Yardstick lore? Well, sabagay, this context is really an IYKYK thing if you doomscroll like me. But if people are really out here calling Yardstick a “secret spot,” consider this my attempt to un-gatekeep Yardstick’s new, not-so-secret secret spot in Makati. Because honestly, this shouldn’t be an IYKYK thing—it’s a P.S.A., an F.Y.I., and everyone-should-know kind of thing.

While several branches are dotting different neighborhoods in Manila, each branch has its own exclusive offerings. And the new Makati branch? It's the most experimental, creative, and out-of-the-box concept Yardstick has ever come up with, with offerings that far transcend what we've seen from them previously—think coffee with clarified oat milk; mulled shochu; even Campari and vermouth.

Also read: Chef Nouel Catis and The Matcha Tokyo Prove Dubai Chocolate + Green Tea Are a Match Made in Heaven

If Yardstick’s already part of your morning vocabulary, then you’d know each branch likes to slip in a few exclusives. There’s the Clockwork Orange at SM Aura (a cheeky nod because the coffee shop is located in the mall's cinemas), and the Manila Latte at the Mall of Asia Square outpost. But the Aguirre branch in Makati, which is just a few minutes walk from its Esteban branch, steps up its caffeine game: nearly 90% of its drinks and desserts are available nowhere else but the 18-seater café hidden inside the 107 Building along Aguirre Street.

The drinks selection is divided into three sections following life's timeline—past, present and future. Under the past are drinks inspired by the classics and elicit nostalgia, but with a fun twist; the present goes by themes that are trending and likely to be on your algorithm; and the future is where Yardstick channels being a mad scientist (a mad barista in this case), and experiments to create drinks not even AI could think of.

Sure, plenty of things from the past still haunt me, but there are also those moments that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside—like freshly baked pan de sal from the neighborhood panaderia, the kind I’d dunk aggressively into a mug of hot 3-in-1 coffee. That’s exactly where Yardstick’s Kape’t Tinapay (P270) takes me back to, a flashback to a childhood memory, but reimagined as a sweet, milky coffee crowned with a cloud of cereal foam and served with a delicate milk biscuit that’s meant to be dipped.

Then there’s the Caffe Oh Lay (P280), which solves one of the drink’s eternal problems: the way milk tends to water things down. Yardstick fixes this with a milk foam, giving the drink texture and structure, so the coffee stands firm. The twist? A whisper of whisky is added—not for flavor, but for fragrance, subtle enough to make you lean in for another sip.

And for those who want the spirit of a cocktail without the actual spirit, there’s the Caffe Negroni (P290). It’s a reimagined version of the classic, or in Yardstick's words, "a negroni meant for day-drinking." The vermouth and Campari are still there, but they do away with the usual addition of gin. Instead, they make a replica "gin" by infusing jasmine tea with juniper berries, resulting in a liquid that carries the same floral bitterness of the original, minus the buzz and hangover.

The present is, well, very present—all about what’s trending and what your algorithm decides you care about this week, but with a Yardstick twist. And since Yardstick’s Sea Salt Latte is having its moment, the version served at Aguirre takes that trend and flips it on its head—it looks nothing like their best-selling latte, on purpose. In fact, it doesn't look like a latte at all because it looks dairy-less.

Yardstick's Smoked Sea Salt (P250) is a combination of coffee, Maldon sea salt, vanilla, and clarified oat milk—meaning it's milk, but without the opaque cream color. This latte resembles an iced Americano, and what gives it a wow factor is the portable smoke machine on top, lending the drink a smoky and sweet aroma.

Then there’s the Cherry Coffee Soda (P240), which uses the coffee cherry (that’s the skin of the beans, specifically from the Bukidnon cascara), hibiscus, and a sweetener to make a house-brewed soda that’s bright, tangy, and fizzy in all the right ways.

And as we all know, matcha is having its moment, and despite the shortage, Yardstick came up with the solution with Look Ma, No Matcha (P250). Instead of hiding behind supply issues or stark price hikes, they clarified the matcha latte—literally transforming that grassy green hue into a clear, slightly golden liquid. This process allows them to tweak each batch, enabling them to add sweetness or depth as needed, depending on what the matcha requires. The clarified layer sits at the bottom, topped with a coffee foam that brings in a creamy texture without stealing the show.

If the past was about nostalgia and the present about virality, the future—at least at Yardstick Aguirre—leans playful and experimental. Take the Last Train to Tokyo (P250), for example. Inspired by the process of making mulled wine, it switches the wine with shochu and infuses it with cloves, orange peel, and cinnamon, and then combines it with cold brew and honey peach tea to make it refreshing.

Then there’s Mocha Magic (P240), which redefines mocha's textbook definition of being traditionally rich, creamy, and all about that milk-coffee-chocolate trio. For this iteration, they remove the milk from the equation altogether and instead use sous-vide cacao nibs, coffee beans, cinnamon, and a touch of balsamic vinegar, then carbonate everything together. The outcome is a dairy-free mocha that still tastes like it—chocolatey, tangy, and slightly spiced—but with a crisp, sparkling twist.

And for those who like their coffee on the bright side, Fruit Punch (P250) makes a fruity coffee, even frutier. Yardstick’s version amps up that natural fruitiness by blending fruity coffee beans with a housemade cordial of frozen strawberries, then giving it a brighter profile by adding citric and malic acids. The result is a drink that tastes like summer in a cup!

And just when you think this Yardstick branch has gone completely off the rails (in the best way possible) with its experimental drinks, you’ll spot one last surprise at the end of the menu: kakigori. Yes, that Japanese shaved ice dessert—but here, it’s served in a very personal, not-for-sharing size.

The kakigori selection also follows through with themes of past, present, and future. The Past takes form in the Miso Caramel and Banana (P250)—a nostalgic mix of sweet-salty caramel, banana milk, torched bananas, toasted milk, pudding, and milk crisps that will remind you of turon, but just fancier. The Present flavor takes inspiration from the worldwide virality of the Dubai chocolate craze, resulting in the Roasted White Chocolate and Pistachio (P390). This bowl has finely shaved ice flavored with pistachio sauce and foam, more white chocolate drizzle, a crunchy knafeh, toasted milk pudding, and a final sprinkle of Maldon sea salt to tie it all together.

Then comes the Future: the Fermented and Charred Pineapple (P350), a tropical number built with tepache sauce, chunks of charred pineapple, coconut foam and crumble, and a zest of orange on top. It’s bright, sweet, and something that I feel would definitely be perfect as a beachside treat.

So, sure, maybe Yardstick did start as an IYKYK thing—but at this point, the coffee franchise is not exactly hiding anymore. The brand has been part of caffeinating different neighborhoods in Metro Manila—all while evolving with each new outpost, and adapting to the context of its surroundings.

“If something is good—whether it’s fashion or a travel destination—why wouldn’t you want people to experience it?” Yardsitck co-founder Andre Chanco says. “That’s our role in the industry.” So, no, they’re not gatekeeping the good stuff. The gate was never closed to begin with.