The best Hong Kong bars for mocktails and low alcohol drinks

This restaurant may be best known for its fine cuts of Argentian steak but it also boasts a fantastic, if unfairly forgotten, bar. Notably home to an excellent range of fernet – the hipster spirit du jour – and an excellent range of mocktails also resides on the drinks menu. Under the Teetotallers section are creations like the Boedo, which combines cranberry, mint and ginger, and – our personal favourite – the Recoleta, a mix of mate, orange and grapefruit.

Another restaurant and bar combo better known for its food – in this case, Michelin-starred dim sum – Duddell’s Salon bar is well worth your time too, especially if you’re looking for mocktails. The Shinrin-Yoku section of the recently revamped drinks menu contains a number of tempting tipples. We suggest starting with the Garden, which is put together with a Seedlip alcohol-free spirit made with peas, hay and rosemary, served with tonic water.

A nostalgic ode to Malaysian fare, newly opened Jalan is the relative new kid on the block down on Peel Street, Soho. The Malaysian street food eatery is worth a visit alone for its vibrant take on street food, but it’s a great destination for casual drinks as well. If you're off the booze, don't miss the delicious (and very Instagrammable) Granny’s Panties – made with lavender syrup, orange, cranberry, blueberry and rosemary.

Going teetotal in the Hong Kong location of renowned Balinese beach club Potato Head is no sacrifice at all, and that's entirely thanks to its selection of alcohol-free elixirs such as the Coco Loco – coconut water, palm nectar and citrus served in a fresh coconut and Tepache – fermented pineapple, coconut, agave and cinnamon, that don't make you feel like you're missing out on any of the fun.

With the opening of Room 309 next door, The Envoy tends to get a little overlooked these days. That’s a shame because this Antonio Lai original shakes up a number of great soft cocktails to go with its various enticing happy hour deals. If you’d like a virgin version of the bar’s famous Dinosaur, you’re in luck. The Dinosaur Roar ditches vodka for a ‘secret recipe’ malted chocolate milk, a frozen Milo ice ball and a generous heap of Milo powder. The Morning Dew (pictured) – Dilmah green tea, jasmine double strength tea and homemade pandan syrup all carbonated in a Perlini shaker – is another option to try before you leave.

This Vietnamese restaurant on the slope of Wing Fung Street is another surprising purveyor of many excellent mocktails. Don’t worry if you’re not interested in the food – which is of a high standard nonetheless – as you’re still free to stop by for drinks only. Les Innocents, as they’re called, include a number of invigorating non-alcoholic cocktails, and we don’t just mean the Vietnamese-style coffee. Try either Tropiques D’Ho Chi Minh – pineapple, lychee, lime and egg white – or Memories de Saigon (pictured) – lotus tea, apple, strawberry and mint – for best results.

Taking over the spot on Peel Street formerly occupied by Korean soju bar Edition, Bella Lee is a great place for low alcohol drinks since spritzes are the name of the game here. There’s more than just various types of spritz available, though, as there are also bottles of Peroni Piccola for when less is more.

Famed for its tiki drinks, Honi Honi doesn’t just serve tropical cocktails with a kick. There’s a fine range of mocktails on offer here too. From its ‘tiki shakes’ menu, we suggest trying the Mango Coco – mango juice, coconut milk, coconut syrup and passion fruit purée – or the Passion Water – passion fruit purée, watermelon juice, lemon juice and apple juice.

Like sister bar The Envoy, VEA is another product of Antonio Lai’s fertile imagination. In similar fashion, there’s a spirit-free section of the drinks menu that mirrors the more boozy portion of proceedings. If you think these drinks aren’t as complex and creative as their alcoholic counterparts, think again. Just try the blood wedding, which features smoky lapsang souchong tea,  a tomato blend, lemon juice, Chinese mustard juice, lime juice and syrup, all garnished with a slice of beef jerky and a cherry tomato.