Mixologists in Hong Kong dare to push the boundaries. These days, they are crafting an explosion of flavours, transforming food into appetising cocktails. From bright tomatoes to savoury chicken ramen, to nostalgic dried squid, here is how these mixologists are pouring their hearts into every glass.
Mius
Hong Kong-born and bred mixologist Shelley Tai returns to her home city and opens her highly anticipated first bar, Mius. In Singapore, Tai led Nutmeg & Clove and the Nutmeg Collective to new heights as the Operations Director. “After five years in Singapore, I feel that I’m ready to open my own place,” Tai says with unflinching confidence. The name Mius is a twist on the word “muse”, echoing in their drinks philosophy of bringing thoughtful twists to classic cocktails. Cocktails are simple but elevated, no frills but elegant. Intended as a ‘neighbourhood cocktail bar’, Mius boasts high ceilings, allowing for ample natural light to flood into the minimalist mid-century modern-style space. “I want Mius to be a place where people can unwind and connect with friends and bartenders,” Tai shares.
Her take on the increasingly popular tomato cocktail is refreshing, clean, slightly savoury, and a bit more herbaceous than the usual. She infuses dill into vodka for aromatics, and makes her own tomato shrub—a tomato syrup—with a tinge of vinegar to give it more structure. The cocktail is finished with lime and three droplets of homemade basil oil, enlivening the drink with brightness. On the food and beverages at Mius, Tai says she wants it to be something people “can have and will crave every day”. Comforting small plates, including duck fat fries and crispy three yellow chicken, as well as a filling pasta alla vodka and moreish bourbon chocolate tart, are featured on the menu as the perfect accompaniment to her simple drinks done right.
29 Gough St, Central; @mius.hongkong
The Opposites
Industry veterans Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok play up their differences in their collaborative venture, The Opposites. Lai is known for his experimental mixology techniques, while Kwok is a champion of classics. In their “mixology playground”, these longtime friends present their juxtaposing artistic approaches through a series of paired cocktails, showing how they take the same cocktail to different directions. After one year of opening, The Opposites was recognised as #80 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars, an achievement that Lai describes as “very lucky”. “When we work together, we fight a lot,” Kwok chuckles. But the one thing that they agree on is that they, as Lai says, “believe what we believe to do, then we keep doing what we believe.”
For Samuel’s The Biker’s Catch cocktail, he takes visitors back to Hong Kong cinemas in the old days when fragrant dried squid were sold by hawkers and packed in parchment bags outside the venue. Based on the classic Sidecar cocktail, The Biker’s Catch is a combination of Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, Peated Single Malt Vodka, Cointreau, lemon and orange. Bancha is infused for its mild grassy notes, while dried squid is sous vide in Cointreau. For an unexpected touch, Lee Kam Kee’s seasoned soy sauce for seafood, typically used for steamed fish, is added for a fresh umami flavour. Before pouring the concoction into the cocktail glass, Kwok places it upside down and smokes straw grass with a smoking gun, coating the insides of the glass with smokiness that is reminiscent of the barbequed dried squid. To top it off, he places bright red streaks of ito togarashi.
LG/F, Hilltop Plaza, 49 Hollywood Rd, Central; @theoppositeshk
Not 2 Sweet
Not 2 Sweet is a cocktail bar that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Seeing a gap in the market for a community pub, co-founders Leandro Chan and Richard Fernie created a hangout spot where quality drinks and food, board games, movie nights, and even comedy shows converge. Messages and doodles from customers emblazon every corner of the walls, bisecting random trinkets like a red bike found on the street. “We brought our personality into [the bar], and a whole lot of attitude too,” Chan says.
The pair previously worked together at a speakeasy in Hong Kong, where the Spicy Chicken Ramen cocktail first came to light. While Chan had never been to the famed New York bar Double Chicken Please, recognised as one of the best bars in the world, he was inspired by the way Co-founder and Mixologist GN Chan deconstructed dishes and turned them into cocktails. Chan began to experiment, concocting “crazy” cocktails with sesame oil, mushrooms, fish sauce, coffee, popcorn and the like before one day attempting chicken ramen. Despite not being on the menu at the speakeasy, the cocktail blew up and Chan would expend 10 litres a week. When Not 2 Sweet opened, old regulars were angry that the Spicy Chicken Ramen Cocktail was absent, so Chan brought it back. “I can’t tell you exactly all of it, no one knows the recipe, but it’s about 40 ingredients, and there’s no MSG, no salt, and no chicken,” Chan shrouds the savoury cocktail with secrecy. The only ingredients Chan was willing to reveal are vodka, Jägermeister, lemon and Amaro Averna. And who could forget the glorious crown of green onions on top?
33 Peel St, Central; @not2sweet_bar
Photography: Samantha Sin
Styling: Ella Wong
Editor
Karrie Lam
