New bars in Hong Kong to try drinks in

Dr. Fern’s Gin Parlour, the floral speakeasy-style bar in the basement of Landmark, closed its doors earlier this year but has swiftly made a comeback. Now named The Doctor’s Residence, they’ve taken over the space in the Pottinger Hotel that used to house The Envoy and Room 309, which has been completely overhauled into the physician’s 70s-style shag pad, complete with iridescent wallpaper and pink lava lamps.

While still gin-focused, the menu is also entirely new, featuring plenty of well-balanced, eccentric cocktails that are a delight for the senses. Don’t miss their bar bites at the back of the menu – we’re huge fans of the Codependent Fish Burger that consists of curry-spice fish fillet, slaw, pickles, and salmon roe.

One normally doesn’t stroll into a French restaurant just for tipples, but hear us out. French eatery du jour Jean-Pierre has opened their bar area and launched a menu. Instead of somewhere to hang out while waiting for tables or just an area to pass by on the way to the dining room, Le Bar now promises to be its own destination.

Settle yourself at the Art Deco bar, done up in beautiful oxblood marble and wood, and let the maître des cocktails, Suraj Gurung, serve up both classic and fun takes, such as the Chambord Margarita, Absinthe Frappé, or their famous Cornichon Martini. As for bites, chow down on a comforting Croque Monsieur or try to get your hands on the JP Burger, of which they’re only making 10 per night, which makes them worth their weight in gold among the city’s foodies.

If you’ve always wanted bars to just pass you the aux cord to play some bangers, or wished drinks in the clubs weren’t terrible and overpriced, then Gossip has the perfect solution. Recently opened by the people behind popular Soho bar Socio, this new joint is a marriage between a cocktail lounge and a nightclub, with live music performances on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and live DJ sets from midnight on Thursdays through till the weekend.

Gossip’s cocktails are inspired by the traditional Asian masks, each highlighting a flavour profile from a different cuisine, such as the Thai-inflected Thotsokan, with notes of lemongrass, coconut, kaffir lime, and mango sticky rice; or Sichuan peppers, elderflower, sesame oil, and pickled cucumber in the Chinese-inspired Nuoxi.

Lorenzo Antinori, co-founder of Bar Leone (crowned number two in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024), and Simone Caporale, co-founder of Sips Barcelona (ranked number three in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024), are joining hands in a new venture. These bar industry stars are launching a Cuban-inspired bar that pays homage to the Club de los Cantineros, a collective of Cuban bartenders founded in the 1920s.

Some cocktails to look forward to include El Presidente, a spirit-forward cocktail aged in a bottle with dulce de leche; the Montana Daiquiri, made using the original recipe from the 1930s; Rum & Coke Sour, a modern take on the classic Cuba Libre cocktail, and more.

Tucked away within Yorucho, a contemporary izakaya that’s also newly launched, Madara is a modern Japanese craft cocktail bar that aims to bring visitors into an experience like Tokyo’s hidden Ginza bars. Rayven Leung, former founding bartender of Takumi Mixology Salon, offers a range of cocktails split into florals, fruits, tea, and interestingly, a series inspired by Shakespeare.

Their peach and damask rose sake bellini with cranberry juice and Earl Grey sounds like the perfect summer drink, while the most interesting is the Shizuoka Dream Romantic Fruit Tomato & Mysterious Dashi Mary – a convoluted name for their take on a Bloody Mary, featuring Japanese Amela greenhouse tomatoes, Yorucho’s house-made dashi broth, wasabi, Japanese vodka, and more.

Homegrown gin brand Tankyu Distillery finally has a Central outpost on Hollywood Road, shaking up various unique cocktails using their famous gin, fruit wines, and coffee liqueur. The bar offers a modern twist on classic cocktails, such as the Floral Bee’s Knees, which blends their famous gin with honey for a sweet, floral finish, and the Perfume Lady, a fresh take on the classic White Lady, with Perfume Trees Gin as the base and egg white for a silky-smooth texture. For coffee lovers, the bar also serves coffee cocktails made with Pale Ink, the distillery’s very own coffee liqueur.

Chicago's legendary craft brewery Goose Island has landed in Hong Kong with its first Asian taproom. The craft beer pioneer, known for its award-winning IPAs, has set up shop on Lyndhurst Terrace in Central, where they serve their most celebrated pours and monthly rotating specials. Not sure what to try? Go for their Brewmaster's Choice Flight, offering 12 150ml pours of different house beers. And of course, their most eye-catching draw is the line of goose head figures on their beer taps.