Retox/Detox
Columnist Yalun Tu toxifies himself, and then tries to reverse the damage—all for your reading pleasure.
Welcome back to Hong Kong, summer vacationer! It’s back to work and—you guessed it—back to life as a 24-hour party person. Follow our handy guide to hurling yourself off the wagon on your way to cirrhosis with our handy drinking map, below. But if you’ve grown weary of such a toxic lifestyle, you can always choose to cure your hangover with a detoxifying body treatment, and then live a more active life with our exercise suggestions on. Additional reporting by Yi Li Dawson.
First, start drinking...
1. Your Apartment
Lesser beings would start with a glass of wine. But like they say in 300, “THIS…IS…HONG KONG!” Start strong and end strong, HK-style. Pre-game Patrón XO shots with some friends.
2. 208
The start of Hollywood Road serves as your first step towards forgetting the night, your name and the names of your children. Have a Firecracker, a combination of Cointreau, rum, lime juice and watermelon chunks. 208-214 Hollywood Rd., 2549-0208
3. Club 7-Eleven (Peel Street)
Still has the cheapest, most reliable drinks in town. A Heineken would do just fine but hey, it’s retox night! Smirnoff Ice and Strobe! (STROBE!!!) Classily use your Octopus to pay for the next guy.
4. Globe/Wheel/Staunton’s
The holy triumvirate of drunk English people. For optimal retoxification, challenge a guy/girl of similar size to a pint/cider drinking contest.Note: it won’t end well for either of you. 45-53 Graham St., 2543-1941; 26 Hollywood Rd., 2869-9958; 10-12 Staunton St., 2973-6611
5. Club 7-Eleven (Wyndham Street)
Power up on Strobe (STROBE!!!). Have a water, too. You’re not a moron.
6. Le Boudoir
Orpheus descended into Hades to reclaim his love; you will descend into this French bar to reclaim your love—of The Lucky Star (absinthe, rum, white sugar). Take a shot before you rise up and out of there like a phoenix. Don’t look back. (This is good advice for life.) B/F, 65 Wyndham St., 2530-3870
7. The Bar Bunny Hop
Vodka sodas down the line at the Pickled Pelican, Tivo and Rayne. Now it’s time to go clubbing. 43 to 55 Wyndham St., 2868-6026, 2116-8055, 2840-1955