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Jay Khan at Coa, his Mexican-inspired cocktail bar specialising in agave drinks, in Central, Hong Kong. The bar is No 1 on the Asia’s Best Bar list and No 7 on the World’s Best Bar list. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Profile | No 7 on World’s Best Bar list, No 1 on Asia’s Best Bar list – Coa in Hong Kong: co-founder Jay Khan on his journey to opening the Mexican-inspired cocktail joint

  • Born in Hong Kong, Khan cut his teeth at Hard Rock Cafe, Ed Club and Karaoke Lounge, and Avenue, before a stint in Australia to learn more about cocktails
  • Fascinated by agave spirits, he started making regular trips to Mexican distilleries to learn more, before opening Coa in November 2017
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My grandmother was originally from Pakistan and moved to Hong Kong, where my mother was born. I was born in 1986, the eldest of five children, although my first sibling didn’t come along until I was five.

My mother was a single mum and my grandmother looked after me while my mum worked – she took whatever work she could get to support the family.

When I was young, we lived on Hollywood Road, in Sheung Wan, and I spent a lot of time in the neighbourhood and got to know the local kids. It was by spending time with them and watching television that I picked up Cantonese before I went to school.

When I was six, I took a public bus to school by myself. I went to Sir Ellis Kadoorie Primary and Secondary School. As a child, I loved talking to people and making friends. After another year spent at Rosaryhill School, on Stubbs Road, I decided I didn’t want to study any more, I wanted to work.

The waiting game

My first paid job was at the bookstore at Hong Kong University, but I was young and didn’t take it too seriously and got fired after six months. Some friends were working at the Hard Rock Cafe, in Tsim Sha Tsui, and I got a job there as a waiter.

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I was born Muslim and our religion tells us not to drink or go into bars. I didn’t set out to work in bars, I did it because I needed a job. The bartenders looked like they were having more fun talking to people, making drinks and laughing.

While working days at the Hard Rock, I got a job at Ed Club and Karaoke Lounge, working on the floor, in the evenings. The bar was free-flow and our job was to give out the drinks and clean up the mess when people threw up.

It was a tough job and at the end of the day we’d sit down with the team and share our frustrations, which was very satisfying. When they offered me a full-time bar job, I quit Hard Rock.

Khan in Jalisco state, Mexico, in 2016. Photo: Courtesy of Jay Khan

Into the mix

I had no experience mixing drinks, didn’t even know the difference between vodka and gin, so my manager gave me instructions over a walkie-talkie. The guests mostly ordered whisky and green tea or whisky and a sweet local cocktail called Nothing with vodka, Midori, pineapple juice and Malibu.

There weren’t many cocktail bars in Hong Kong, so I started buying books and teaching myself. In those days, to be taken seriously as a bartender, you had to work in Lan Kwai Fong. When a new nightclub called Avenue opened on D’Aguilar Street in 2006 I got a job working on the floor again, hoping to move to bartender.

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I was passionate about bartending and doing my own studying, so when my manager asked me to make him a cosmopolitan, his favourite drink, I was ready. A cosmo has to be balanced and must be pink because if it’s red it means there’s too much cranberry juice. I got the job and soon became the club’s senior bartender and supervisor.

In 2007, Beijing Club opened, one of the most exciting club openings of the year, and I worked there as a supervisor for a couple of years.

Out of town

I wanted to learn more about cocktails, so I went to Melbourne, Australia, for about a year. My first job was at The Alchemist on Brunswick Street. Ten bartenders applied for the job and the owners interviewed us in batches and put us behind the bar serving cocktails for their friends. They asked for all sorts of classic cocktails and tested our knowledge, but I felt pretty confident as I’d been studying.

Khan in Mexico in 2017. Photo: Courtesy of Jay Khan

After six months there, I went to a high-volume rooftop cocktail bar, The Emerald Peacock. After work I’d go to the Black Pearl, a Fitzroy institution, and watch the bartenders and learn from them as a guest. They didn’t just make cocktails, they interacted with the guests and asked questions about their preferences, which was all new to me.

That’s the spirit

I came back to Hong Kong in 2010, just as Hong Kong’s first real cocktail bar was opening, Lily & Bloom. During the pre-opening, they hired big-name bartenders to teach us. Hidetsugu Ueno from Japan taught us how to cut ice and Alex Day, a former bartender who wrote a guide to cocktails, taught us about basics, classics, techniques and how to work efficiently behind a bar.

When the Galaxy Hotel opened in Macau in 2011, they poached me to work in their whisky bar, The Macallan. Quite quickly I was promoted to assistant beverage manager for the entire hotel.

After two years I realised I was moving away from what I loved, mixing drinks, and I was meeting more managers than guests, so I returned to Hong Kong and worked at The Black Bird on Lyndhurst Terrace and helped the owners open a place called Black Star.

From there I went to the Epicurean Group. They have a bar called Agave and that was where I learned more about agave spirits.

Khan visiting a producer of raicilla, a distilled spirit originating from Mexico’s Jalisco state, in 2016. Photo: Courtesy of Jay Khan

There are about 200 varieties of agave in the world and 150 are indigenous to Mexico, and about 40 to 50 of those are used in mescal production. It’s the most terroir spirit in the world and the most labour intensive.

Most spirits are sweet, fruity or herbal, but mescal is peppery, vegetal, spicy. I wanted to learn more about the spirit, so I went to Mexico to visit a distillery.

The Mexicans are such friendly, welcoming people, they drove me around and showed me their distillery. I started going back and forth to Mexico, on holiday and on no-pay leave. I started to think about opening an agave bar in Hong Kong and making notes about what my bar might look and feel like.

Love at first sight

When I was in my late 20s, my mum wanted me to get married. I said I was busy with my career, but she was keen for me to meet this girl, my sister’s best friend’s elder sister. I instantly fell in love with Yassmine, she was so gorgeous. We got to know each other over a few months and decided to get married in 2014.

Khan in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2017. Photo: Courtesy of Jay Khan

I got a consulting-style job at the Wynn Macau, but all the time I was thinking about my bar. And after a year working as a brand ambassador for Remy Martin, during which period I had time to think, I decided I was ready to open my own bar.

People advised me against it, saying that agave is a very niche area, but I had the feeling that if I gave it 100 per cent commitment it would work out. I opened Coa in November 2017 with a friend and business partner.

Best in Asia

Agave is a niche category and it takes a lot of effort to promote these products. People might have had bad experiences with agave spirits, and you have to reintroduce what agave is to your guests. The bar is designed so our staff can easily talk to the guests.

The first year was tough because we were new and relying on word of mouth. We worked long hours and by the end of 2018, we were starting to break even. We had a lot of regulars and other bartenders were supportive and came after they finished work. The 2019 protests affected us, but we were still busy and that year Asia’s 50 Best Bars announced us as the highest new entry in the Asia category, coming in at No 12. We started winning more awards and recognition.

Khan tastes mescal off the still in Mexico in 2017. Photo: Courtesy of Jay Khan

Also in 2019, we got into the World’s 50 Best Bars for the first time, at No 49, and the next year we jumped to No 8, then won the best bar in Asia in 2021. This year we won Asia’s Best Bar for the second year in a row – it was exciting to go to the award ceremony in Bangkok.

We opened Coa in Shanghai in March and were open for about three weeks before the city went into lockdown.

Running man

The reason we Muslims are not allowed to drink is because we are not allowed to do things we might not do when we are sober. I thought, if I don’t abuse alcohol, don’t drink until I’m unconscious or do anything I wouldn’t normally do, I think it’s OK. I wanted to be a bartender because I like to meet and talk to people and, later, I discovered I love to mix drinks and create flavours.

I gained a lot of weight after I got married and hit 125kg. Last April, I started hiking and then running and lost 45kg in six months. I’d never run before, but now I take it seriously and recently got a running coach to prepare for the 100km TransLantau race in November.

Khan running up Sharp Peak in Hong Kong in 2021. Photo: Courtesy of Jay Khan
Khan (right) with friends during a 14 peaks in 14 days hiking adventure in Hong Kong in 2022. Photo: Courtesy of Jay Khan

I run every day, mostly after midnight, after I finish work, when the streets are empty. I find running really improves my energy.

Yassmine has been so supportive, she understands I have to work late and travel a lot. When Coa first opened, our son was almost two and I had to sacrifice a lot of family time. If it wasn’t for her I don’t think I could have done it.

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