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When you are unable to shake off the idea of a dirty martini before calling it a night, and are told that the hotel bar can stir a mean one but their award-winning signature cocktails are worth an exception, it makes you think "Yeah, right!," but you listen, and they deliver, you know you're in the right place. In Hong Kong, which recently held the coveted Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024 awards ceremony and will be hosting the next three as well, such happenings are not serendipitous. In fact, it gets even harder to settle with a not-so-great cocktail, with nine bars snagging a top spot in the list, among which four have made it to the top ten. So, if you're wondering which bars in Hong Kong you should join the beeline for, here's our tried and tested list of the hottest spots and their must-have cocktails:
How do you know a bar is great? When they do classics right. Started in 2023 by Lorenzo Antinori, who has been in the game for a long time, helming legendary bars like Dandelyan in London and Argo in Hong Kong, Bar Leone has become a favourite rather quickly. It has managed to grab the number one spot on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024 list within just a year of opening. And the ingredients to this kind of roaring success seem to be just as simple as their cocktails: warm hospitality, great vibes, classic flavours, and all heart.
Designed after a quintessential Italian bar and inspired by Rome's historical neighbourhood, Trastevere, where Antinori grew up, Bar Leone has been described casually as a "neighbourhood bar." The interiors are warm and peppered with quirky memorabilia and keeps particular of Italy—from an empty, old bottle of Amaro to posters of Al Pacino and legendary Italian striker Luigi Riva—keeping you coming back.
Besides the ambience, their list of food and drinks make for a solid reason to quickly plan your second visit. Their menu, short and sweet, boasts classic Italian cocktails that pack a punch even if made with a few simple ingredients. The secret lies in Antinori's thoughtful approach of subtracting distillation and machinery from the process and focusing on seasonality and craftsmanship. The making of their cocktails revolve around a simple philosophy—"cocktails popolari," meaning "cocktails for the people." Favourites from the trusty lot are, hands down, the classic Negroni, olive oil sour, and the mortadella sandwich. Side note: Don't shy away from going at it with those insanely delicious house smoked olives.
Started in 2017 by Jay Khan, this bar, tucked away in one of Central's many alleys that run up and down, was a result of his ambition to introduce Asia to agave spirits. After having reigned over the first spot in Asia's 50 Best Bars list for three consecutive years and bagging the seventh rank in the World's 50 Best Bars list, it is safe to say that agave is the way.
Inspired heavily by Khan's trips to Mexico and time spent in the country's drinking dens and with agave cultivators, Coa's ambience makes it known that is all about the gripping Mexican spirit in there. The dim, candle-lit space is covered with colourful, hand-drawn murals of Mexican gods and goddesses, and one of the walls even features a coa (a machete-like tool used for harvesting agave) from Oaxaca. Even though Khan means business when it comes to shining the spotlight on his carefully-sourced and developed Mexican spirit, the space is welcoming and cosy.
However, if you are in with the intention to really dig deeper into the world of agave, then there's no better place. In addition to the regular cocktail menu, there's a 41-page agave menu sorted according to the diverse species for serious connoisseurs and Khan's collection displayed neatly behind the bar is worth studying too.
Coming to the cocktails, Khan and his team surprise you not only with unique concoctions infused with flavours borrowed from all over the world but also how perfectly they managed to balance tequila and mescal's inherent smoky flavour. Must-try from the impressive list is the expertly crafted ancho highball and smacked cucumber (cucumber, Chinese salad sauce, lime, ginger honey, chilli, mezcal, tequila). But if you want to check out how mezcal mixes in with classic cocktails, there are those spins too.
After collecting all the top accolades, the A-team of Jay Khan and Ajit Gurung chose not to step back but to take a giant leap, and The Savoury Project, located just a few steps away from Coa, was a result of that. Within just a year of opening, the bar has not only gained devoted fans but also the grand nineteenth spot in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024 list. If you are wondering how, then the reasons are obvious: their unique selection of flavour-forward, savoury cocktails and a curated vibe to make you feel like you may be dropping by your pal's crib for a tipple.
At The Savoury Project, there's no neat divide between the guest and the barman. Instead, the hexagonal and island-style bar counter encourages keen guests to lean further and get to know more about the making of their list of unique cocktails. Such friendliness shines brilliantly throughout their menu as well, which includes not only mind-blowing and intriguing cocktails like thai beef salad and biryani (yes, you read that right), but also enough non-alcoholic options that have been developed and crafted with as much inspiration and thought—making it worth the visit even if you're not a drinker. To get you started off on the right foot, each drink on the menu comes with a postscript of the flavour profiles, ranging from herbal and aromatic to zesty, gamey, salty and more.
Must-haves from their menu, which is divided into unabashed categories like "Hedonism," "Temperance" and "Ageless," include the Thai beef salad (clarified peanut rum shaken with beef essence, coconut water, bird’s eye chilli and kaffir lime) and gari gari (gari, whiskey, passionfruit, ponzu, and seltzer).
Power couple Agung Prabowo and Laura Probowo are the reigning names in Hong Kong's bar scene, having opened the two most sought-after haunts: Penicillin and The Old Man. But that's not all. Passionate about continuously reinventing the spirit game, the duo recently added another feather to their hat with Lockdown, a bar conceived during the rather dim pandemic phase, but with a tongue-in-cheek approach. With a discreet and unlikely entrance, where you are greeted by a seemingly abandoned ladder and toilet seat behind a glass, you enter into a gritty and dark space, one that transforms into a good time: a lot like the period of lockdown itself.
Inspired by the Prohibition-era bars, Lockdown boasts an impressive selection of classic cocktails that have been remastered with unique ingredients, unimaginable combinations, and innovative techniques. But their quirky takes on timeless cocktails is not all why you must hit the bar. The counter boasts an impressive selection of rare antique spirits that you can (read: must) check out. In fact, the folks at Lockdown are happy to do more than just show you the bottle as they'll quickly stir up a martini with a gin from the 50s or a potent Sazerac featuring a 1970 Remy Martin cognac. Must-have drinks at the Lockdown are the Hong Kong-inspired silk stocking cocktail (featuring soy milk whey, cocoa, spicy pomegranate, and tequila) and gin rickey (peach, parsley, banana miso, champagne, and gin).
Visiting Kinsman is more than just visiting a bar. Here's why. Kinsman was tarted by Gavin Yeung in January this year with a simple idea in mind: to showcase the inherent brilliance of Cantonese spirits and to remind connoisseurs of Hong Kong's glorious past as a spirits-distilling hub. In doing so, Yeung has conceived a rather compelling menu that illuminates locally-found ingredients and homegrown spirits; and each comes with an interesting insight into Hong Kong's history. In addition to cocktails featuring one-of-a-kind regional spirits—like Luo Han Kuo Chiew (a monkfruit-infused red rice), red bean liqueur, jiuniang (a half-fermented Chinese rice drink), Cantonese papaya wine—Kinsman also offers a chance to taste homegrown sake and local craft beers that are otherwise hard to find anywhere else. Rooting you deeper into the historical passage of Hong Kong is KInsman's ambience that has been heavily inspired from scenes in Wong Kar Wai's "In the Mood for Love."
Must-haves in Kinsman include the Rednaxela (a play on the classic Brandy Alexander using Chinese ingredients like Luo Han Kuo Chiew, red bean liqueur, fenjiu and extra-thick soy milk from Ān Soy) and Kowloon Dairy (Hong Kong interpretation of the milk punch: roselle and magnolia amaros by local brand Magnolia Lab are blended with for ma yun—hemp seed— syrup and pu’er tea, then clarified and topped off with a salted cream cap).
