Hong Kong Bars
Your guide to the best Hong Kong bars to visit – all reviewed anonymously and impartially by our experts
The best booze events in Hong Kong this week
It’s a long weekend. That means you can afford to live a little and sleep it off on Saturday and Sunday, right? Or maybe you’re gearing up for Rugby Sevens. Whatever the case, there are several booze events happening this week to get your Sevens weekend started early.
Drink this: Saratoga from Draft Land
Cocktails on tap may have sounded like a novel concept when Angus Zou and Antonio Lai brought Draft Land to Hong Kong, but it turns out that fast-served craft cocktails was exactly the shake-up the bar scene needed. At Draft Land, you can sample any of the cocktails before committing to a full pour. When you do settle on one of the 20 different kinds the bar offers on draft, it comes out fast but without sacrificing flavour, creativity or execution. Pretty amazing. Here, Zou and Lai share one of their favourite recipes from red-hot Draft Land. Angus Zou: “Draft Land – the original in Taipei – came about because I wanted to do something different. I was thinking about how to make drinking cocktails simple, and worried about what happens when I can’t be behind the bar.” Antonio Lai: “Consistency is key. With pre-made cocktails, once you have the formula down, whether we’re here or not, things will be 99.9 percent the same.” Zou: “You have to be quite precise with this style of cocktail. You have to be a very good bartender… You need to know the basics first.” Lai: “The Saratoga is a combination of whisky and brandy. People think you shouldn’t mix spirits. This cocktail tastes very good, despite that advice. That’s why I think it’s a good choice.” Zou: “The combination is good. It’s something you’re familiar with, but you can’t quite tell what it is. You get the fruit from the brandy, you get oakiness and spiciness from the bourbon. We use a little Fernet-Branca to give
Best bars in Tsim Sha Tsui to try right now
The best bars in Central may grab all the headlines and awards but that doesn’t mean you should neglect going to the other side of the harbour for a tipple or two. From basement bars like Time Park to sky-high venues like Ozone and Aqua Spirit, Tsim Sha Tsui has no shortage of truly great places to enjoy a drink. In this bustling district, you’re bound to find something to satisfy all sippers, whether it’s world-class cocktails at Butler, premium whiskies at Tiffany’s New York Bar or delicious craft beers at the likes of Kowloon Taproom or Zhang Men Brewing Company. Oh, and if you’re just in search for a really good time, there’s even a darts bar. RECOMMENDED: Be sure to check out our Tsim Sha Tsui neigbhourhood guide for the best things to see, eat and do while you’re here.
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The ThirtySix Bar & Co
One of the most popular cocktail breeds in Japan, the highball is a mix of a spirit and a larger portion of a nonalcoholic mixer. While plenty of drinks fit this classification – a G&T and yes, even a Jack and coke, technically belong to this family – the highball is enjoying a new spot in the limelight, fuelled in part by the new-found popularity of the whisky highball in the United States. It started in 2017 when Williamsburg hipster hotspot Kinfolk 90 became the first bar in New York to have a highball-making machine (supplied by whisky distiller Suntory, no less). That kick-started a surge of interest in the cocktail in America and within a year, the New York Times was declaring the summer ‘highball season’. The highball trend is slowing picking up here in Hong Kong too and The ThirtySix is the newest space to jump on train, after Black Sheep’s take on an izakaya, Fukuro, beat it to the punch last year. Sitting above Hollywood Road, this new concept occupies the spot formerly belonging to whisky and cocktail bar Angel’s Share. The physical layout is nearly identical, though the décor has changed substantially. Where Angel’s Share had a uniform gentlemen’s-club vibe, The ThirtySix is a somewhat incoherent mishmash of styles. The place takes its drinks seriously but serves them on light-up coasters that look like they belong at Levels or Drop. The furniture, also, is a mix of clubby tables and stools and deep leather chairs that look like they were left behind by the previ
