the mixer
If you are too adventurous with cocktails when entertaining at home, you can end up being more of a bartender than a host. Good preparation takes the fuss out of making drinks while helping you look like an impressive mixologist.
The cocktail menu at Cliq, a huge, hip club opened recently in Central, includes all manner of ingredients, such as honeycomb, chilli, cucumber and grilled fruit. The trick to keeping on top of things at such a busy watering hole, with a complex menu, is advance preparation, says bar manager Allan Wu.
The honeycomb, for example, is infused with gin for a few days before being shaken and muddled with cucumber slices, apple juice and apple schnapps for a Honeycomb and Sour Apple Martini. It is served in a martini glass, half the rim of which is coated in black pepper, a great twist on the salt-rimmed margarita.
Burned or slightly caramelised fruit is the flavour of the month at many bars, and bartenders often use a blowtorch to flame it. At Cliq, Wu's team pre-cooks the pineapple in a grill pan (with no oil) to create sweet, sticky chunks of fruit that bring a unique flavour to an otherwise simple martini.
The Lychee and Kaffir Lime Martini uses kaffir leaves muddled with fresh, peeled and stoned lychees. It is then shaken with vodka. 'It's sweet, sour and spicy, like a Thai soup,' says Wu, who has spent the past 11 years working in bars in Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai.
'Our drinks are very exotic and exciting yet can be made quickly,' says Wu. 'Everything is on hand.' At home, being this prepared means you have time to enjoy your own party.
Try the Cliq cocktails (HK$80 to HK$100) at 2/F, On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central, tel: 2868 3111.
Grilled Pineapple Martini (below)
5 or 6 chunks of grilled pineapple
1 shot vodka
1/4 shot vanilla syrup
1/2 shot pineapple juice
Muddle the pineapple and syrup. Shake with the vodka and pineapple juice then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with grilled pineapple.
Apple Melon Martini (above)
A few slices of fresh green apple
1 shot vodka
1/4 shot Midori melon liqueur
1/4 shot apple juice
Dash of lemon juice
Crush the apple and add the rest of the ingredients. Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a slice of apple.
