Time Out Bar Awards 2024 nominees: Bartender of the Year

Co-founder, The Savory Project

Nepalese-born Ajit Gurung is a seasoned barman who has received multiple accolades since he started in the bar industry. His first role in the Hong Kong industry was as a bartender at the now-closed restobar, Lily and Bloom, before joining the whisky bar Stockton in 2014, where he quickly climbed the ranks to become bar manager. Under Gurung’s leadership, the bar garnered numerous accolades and was recognised on Asia’s 50 Best Bars for consecutive years from 2016 to 2019. He then moved to become the global bar operations manager for Mott 32 under the restaurant group Maximal Concepts, where he oversaw the beverage programme for all international outlets, including Hong Kong, Las Vegas, and Singapore. In 2020, Gurung joined the award-winning agave-focused bar, Coa, and together with bar legend Jay Khan, achieved remarkable success. Coa has been recognised as the number one bar on Asia’s 50 Best Bars for three consecutive years. In 2023, the duo successfully launched the first umami-focused bar in Hong Kong, The Savory Project, adding a new and unique drinking experience to the city.

Owner, Mostly Harmless

Ezra Star moved to Hong Kong during the challenging pandemic, equipped with over 20 years of bartending and hospitality experience and an unwavering resolve to make her mark on the Hong Kong bar scene. Formerly the general manager of Boston’s renowned bar, Drink, she first joined The Pontiac team before founding Mostly Harmless, an omakase-style cocktail spot in Sai Ying Pun. Despite the adversity that Covid-19 imposed, Mostly Harmless has carved a niche in our city’s competitive bar landscape, embracing a straightforward approach to mixology and introducing innovative practices that went beyond the menu. In 2023, Mostly Harmless clinched the esteemed Best New Bar Award at the fifth annual Time Out Hong Kong Bar Awards, followed by the inaugural Bar of Tomorrow Award in Hong Kong. Subsequently, Star and her wife Beckaly Franks (from The Pontiac) launched a string of new venues in the city, including Artifact Bar and Call Me Al, further enriching Hong Kong’s bar scene.

Director of operations, The Old Man Hong Kong

A journey that commenced with a waitering job in Russia at age 16 ignited Nikita Matveev’s passion for crafting innovative cocktails. By 2017, he stood as Mandarin Oriental Macau’s inaugural resident mixologist, reshaping Vida Rica into a contemporary speakeasy-style bar. From accolades in esteemed bartending competitions, including being named Best Bartender of Macau 2018 by the Bar Awards, to leadership roles in Hong Kong’s Kerry Hotel and Soho House Hong Kong, Matveev has then steered The Old Man Hong Kong to new heights as the director of operations since 2020. His latest venture, the Dead Poets – which juxtaposes a barbershop-day, bar-night concept – is Central’s unconventional morgue-themed establishment.

Founder of Ratafia Rossi and RossiBar Ltd

It’s difficult to imagine DarkSide without the familiar presence of Simone Rossi, who has been part of the bar team since its inception in 2018. He served his final drink at the bar this April and is set to embark on new ventures. This bar talent’s journey from London to Hong Kong, marked by wins like the Disaronno Mixing Star competition in 2015 and the prestigious World Class Country Winner title in 2018 for Hong Kong and Macau, has seen him progressing to a bar manager role with Aqua Restaurant Group, and most recently in his role as director of bars at DarkSide in Rosewood Hong Kong. Now, at the young age of 31, Rossi is launching his bar and beverage consulting platform, RossiBar Ltd, serving the Asia Pacific and Middle East. Additionally, he devotes his attention to his own label, Ratafia Rossi, an aperitif cherry wine established in 2018.