5 Finest New Bars And Signature Cocktails To Strive In Hong Kong
Tired of your old haunts? Already over Dry January? Kick off 2024 at some of Hong Kong’s most exciting new bars. To get you started, Prestige samples their signature cocktails.
LA SUITE AT LA SUITE
Just before the festive season, chef Olivier Elzer opened his newest venture, La Suite, a speakeasy nestled within his popular restaurant, Clarence. Hidden behind opulent curtains high above the heart of Central, La Suite is a cocktail bar with a small outdoor lounge that serves a menu of cocktails meticulously reimagined by famed French bar maestro Max Traverse, to a backdrop of the Hong Kong skyline. The bar’s signature cocktail, La Suite, is a refreshing blend of Ketel One Vodka, crisp apple juice and a mix of raspberry and blackberry purées, enriched with crème de cassis, a dash of lemon juice and a vanilla whipped-cream topping. C’est magnifique!
25/F, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central
MELODY’S SALTED CARAMEL ESPRESSO MARTINI
Melody: House of Food & Music is a new neighbourhood bar comprising five rooms themed like those in a typical home: a kitchen, dining room, music room, bar lounge and garden room (fear not, bathrooms are an unofficial sixth). Helmed by bar manager Kaan Gilmour from London, the venue serves a variety of signature drinks that promise to be unexpected and unusual, offering an opportunity for the bar team to flex their talents and creativity. One such drink is the – wait for it – salted caramel espresso martini. Yes, expresso martinis just got better, if that was possible. The vodka, kahlua, salted caramel and espresso combination is a sweet twist on a much-loved classic.
G/F, 100 Third Street, Sai Ying Pun
LOCKDOWN’S LEFT BANK
Indonesian duo Agung Prabowo and Laura Prabowo, renowned veterans on the Hong Kong bar scene, recently opened their latest venture, Lockdown. Paying tribute to the infamous Covid era, the bar offers an intimate setting with a maximum capacity of just 30 guests. Although seating is limited the drinks are not, with 25 concoctions divided into three categories: experimental, vintage and remastered classics. The signature Left Bank is a menu highlight, not only for your taste buds but also your Instagram feed. With ingredients like St Germain elderflower, fennel pollen, absinthe, port and white citrus, it’s as photogenic as it’s delicious.
27 Hollywood Road, Central
BARCODE’S CORNSTAR MARTINI
After a brief absence from the Hong Kong bar scene, Barcode is back in a new and bigger venue on Central’s Cochrane Street. While the location has changed, the team’s ability to come up with new and unusual concoctions hasn’t. Enter the Cornstar Martini, a sweet and tangy sip of childhood bliss. Infused with a mix of vodka, passion fruit, vanilla and lemon, layered in marshmallow and topped with baby corn, it’s a bizarre but tasty blend of grown-up indulgence and childhood nostalgia.
45 Cochrane Street, Central
TAKUMI MIXOLOGY SALON’S ZEN
Takumi – the Japanese word means “artisan” – is the brainchild of Pong Group’s chief bartender Rayven Leung, the rising-star mixologist behind the likes of Carlyle & Co and Mizunara: The Library. At his new Japanese-themed establishment, expect fully personalised, bespoke cocktails, but for those less inclined towards customisation, the signature cocktail Zen takes inspiration from the serenity of zendō (Japanese meditation halls). If you’re looking for some peace and quiet after a busy day, the mix of Takumi sandalwood vodka, blended house vermouth, blended scotch and hojicha is bound to take the edge off.
3/F, Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay
Source: Prestige Online
