Drink in Focus: Tropical Spicy Brew at Friday After Class

Launching on March 30, the programme explores unlikely pairings of countries and flavours across seven drinks, – much like the colourful background of the city’s third culture denizens.

Of course, what matters most is flavour, and particularly intriguing on this menu is the combination of tropical fruit and spices, of the Caribbean and of Nepal. For founder Alex Yang, the two regions are are linked via a ritual of enjoying tropical fruit with spices during the summer holidays – something that came to the fore as Yang’s teammate who developed the cocktail is himself Nepalese.

The drink comprises coffee-infused Tanqueray gin that has undergone the sous vide process. Clarified pink guava juice and fresh pineapple cordial give the cocktail its fruit elements, while tamarind syrup and tajin pepper via Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur provide the spice.

“Pink guava and pineapple are constantly fresh and high-quality in Hong Kong, while tamarind adds a layer of maturity – almost a fermented depth – to the brightness of the other fruits. Its natural acidity also helps to cut through richness, making it especially suited to hot climates and spice-forward cooking,” Yang says. “In the cocktail, we highlight this by using tamarind syrup to bridge the bright tropical fruits with deeper coffee and spice notes.”

Perhaps the one element that sticks out is the coffee infusion for the gin – it’s neither fruit nor spice, though Yang sees it as central the concept. “We love coffee as adults, and since our bar is all about university nostalgia, we wanted to incorporate the brew into one of our cocktails. We found that the bitterness and acidity of the Colombian coffee beans we chose complement the sweet and savoury notes of the fruits and spices beautifully.” As if even more on the nose, the cocktail is served in a Harvard University-branded mug, which Yang says is meant to take you “back to the days of your university’s common room”.