Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Hong Kong’s best Christmas cocktails to warm your spirits – from The Daily Tot’s rum mulled wine to Tell Camellia’s Not Irish Coffee But Tea

This year’s festival cocktails – Magical Snowfall (left) and Magical Bauble – at the Kowloon Shangri-La. Photo: Handout

December is the most wonderful time of the year for bars in Hong Kong. Okay, Rugby Sevens week might be even better for the tills but the festive period is still a time when people are looking to celebrate if not Christmas then the new year. From company end-of-year parties to celebratory tipples on December 31, there are plenty of excuses this month for visiting some of the city’s lauded bars.

The last 12 months were something of a banner year for Hong Kong after hours scene. Not only did the city’s boozers equal their best-ever performance in Asia’s 50 Best, with nine bars featured, but local establishments scooped a number of the biggest individual awards including best bar in Asia (Coa), highest climber (Caprice), best new opening (The Diplomat) and “legend of the list” (Quinary).

Where to find Hong Kong’s best martini – and is it shaken or stirred?

Naturally, with all the talent and creativity in the industry at the moment, Hong Kong’s mixologists have come up with a tantalising array of tipples for Christmas.

The Landmark’s annual Christmas display is probably the most famous in Hong Kong, so it’s no surprise that MO Bar, at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, has an array of seasonal cocktails on its menu, each costing HK$158. For those with a sweet tooth there are the Dulce Claus – featuring Hennessy VSOP cognac, Cocoa Cream liqueur, coconut liqueur, chocolate cream and chocolate syrup – and the slightly less calorific Christmas Oat Berry, a combination of Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 years rum, maple syrup, oat berry, cinnamon and vanilla extract. For something more traditional grab a cup of Santa Mulled Wine made with Whispering Angel rosé, Cointreau, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and oranges.

The Marshmallow cocktail from MO Bar at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental – head bartender Daniel Valencia’s seasonal favourite. Photo: Jonathan Wong

However it’s the Marshmallow that is MO Bar and PDT head bartender Daniel Valencia’s seasonal favourite. The ingredients – Belvedere vodka, Aperol, orange juice, lemon juice, cookie syrup and marshmallows – include many nostalgic favourites. “I wanted to mix some of those ingredients in the cocktails to remind me of home since I can’t be there,” says the homesick New Yorker. “I would love to transmit it, to share this with all our guests and bring them to my hometown, so they can sample a little of what the Christmas flavours are like in America.”

CBD in Hong Kong: where to get a cannabinoid kick in your coffee, cocktail or meal

Also in Landmark, Zuma has prepared the Omatsuri Fizz (HK$140), starring wintery ingredients such as cinnamon, chocolate and rum, and a splash of Japanese yuzu. It comes topped with a dollop of cream for a snowy white finish that invokes a true sense of the holiday season.

Meanwhile, downstairs in The Atrium, Dr Fern’s is giving back this season – the gin parlour will be donating HK$10 from the sale of each limited-edition festive cocktail to mental health charity Mind HK. Santa’s Toddy with Christmas Gin Jelly (HK$180) is a warming cocktail starring Australian Four Pillars Christmas gin combined with a cinnamon and clove syrup, ginger, honey, hot water and lemon juice, ensuring drinkers enjoy an immunity boost whilst enjoying their festive tipple. For those who’d prefer something more classically Dr Ferns’ there is the colourful Blackberry G&T (HK$160), made with blackberry gin jelly paired with Tarquin’s British Blackberry Gin, and topped with the London Essence Company’s Rosemary and Grapefruit Tonic.

Dr Fern’s limited-edition Blackberry G&T cocktail. HK$10 will be donated to Mind HK for every purchase. Photo: Handout

Elsewhere in Central, Sevva is serving two custom creations for Advent. The first is its classic eggnog (HK$185) made with SelvaRey Rum, Amaretto and a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg, all whisked together with organic eggs. The Count Negroni (HK$185), meanwhile, takes the popular cocktail and combines it with a cinnamon stick garnish to lend the classic recipe an appropriately seasonal edge.

The year has been a busy one for Gagan Gurung. As well as maintaining standards at Tell Camellia, which soared to 23 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars, the award-winning bartender has launched cafe/cocktail/dessert combo Barcode.

For December, Gurung is shaking up the Tell Camellia menu and giving it a special Christmas flavour. New highlights include Tulled Wine (HK$120, Christmas tea, red wine, cognac, honey, citrus, spices and cinnamon), Broadway (HK$120, jasmine tea, tequila, roasted pepper distillate, popcorn, lime, caramelised pomegranate and garnished with popcorn salt) and Not Irish Coffee But Tea (HK$120, hojicha tea, whiskey, sesame and cream). “The flavours are very nostalgic but at the same time unique, and the textures are so much fun to create – and to drink as well,” enthuses Gurung.

Tell Camelia’s Christmas cocktail, the Not Irish Coffee But Tea. Photo: Handout

Another project Gurung had a hand in this year was helping to put together the drinks menu for Hollywood Road’s new Middle Eastern-inspired shisha bar, Zzura. Princebir Singh heads the day-to-day operations and has crafted a boozy spin on hot chocolate called the Spiked Chocolate (HK$130) that’s complete with milk, melted chocolate, cream, Plantation Original Dark rum and ras el hanout spices.

Further along Hollywood Road, the Daily Tot has a special present waiting for guests that includes a characteristic dash of rum (HK$90). “In Barbados, we used to have our own version of a mulled wine which featured a spiced rum, usually Sailor Jerry, with ginger wine and brandy,” explains co-founder and general manager Tiana Ludhani.

The Daily Tot’s rum mulled wine. Photo: Handout

“I wanted to bring this idea of a hot rum mulled wine to Hong Kong as the temperatures drop. It’s colder than the Caribbean here yet you can still get a taste of the islands in a tea cup!” The Tot’s rum mulled wine (HK$90) comes with cinnamon, star aniseed and Plantation Original Dark rum alongside a cabernet sauvignon for what should be the perfect winter warmer.

Not one to be left out in the cold, Foxglove is also serving a mulled creation all of its own. Available until December 31 in limited portions, their Christmas Special Mulled Cider (HK$90) is a premium version of the Christmas staple. Made with Frank’s Mulled Wine, dark ale, Shiraz, apple cider, orange cordial and brown sugar, this winter warmer is spiced with aromatic cinnamon sticks, a hint of cardamom, cloves, flavourful star anise, spicy ginger juice, fresh orange peel and a vanilla pod.

5 festive shows to catch in Hong Kong this Christmas

If eggnog is more your thing at this time of year, share some Christmas spirits with the friendly folks at The Pontiac. The bar premiered an exciting new menu earlier this year and The Yuletide (HK$88) is their latest new creation “packed with bourbon, rum and all of the spices”. There’s a catch, though. This ’nog is a slushy.

“This is essentially a vegan ’nog meets Horchata,” explains new bar manager Jennifer Queen. “I love eggnog for the holidays, and I am really missing Mexico after four spoiled months on the beach there before I moved to Hong Kong. We decided to keep it vegan so everyone can enjoy it and so we could put it in our slushy machine because slushies are rad! Who wouldn’t love a slushed Horchata nog?”

Lobster Bar and Grill, at the Island Shangri-La, is offering its own eggnog too. The whole hotel is bedecked with an “Enchanted Wonders” Christmas theme that is carried over to the drinks menu. Its Brandy Eggnog (HK$138) features a creamy concoction of Hennessy VSOP, vanilla, milk, cream and nutmeg. Also on offer is a Gingerbread Martini (HK$138) – made with Absolute Elyx vodka and gingerbread and topped with rose syrup – and a classic mulled wine (HK$138).

A short sleigh ride across the harbour, Kowloon Shangri-La also has specials of its own (see top picture). The Magical Snowfall (HK$168) features vanilla vodka, butterscotch liqueur, ginger and soya milk, topped with coffee cream, candy cane and cherries. Those seeking something lighter this Christmas can opt for the Magical Bauble (HK$138), a limited edition mocktail that is a blend of cinnamon, strawberry, lime and guava topped with soda water, fresh strawberries and a cinnamon stick.

Artesian’s mulled gin and tonic for Christmas 2021. Photo: Handout

Staying in Kowloon, Artesian, at The Langham, is offering an elegant mulled gin and tonic (HK$120) brought to life through a concoction of Normindia gin and a warm home-made spiced apple juice that pairs exceptionally well with the gin’s botanicals which include cinnamon, cloves, ginger and coriander.

Aqua may have moved to the H Zentre along the harbourfront but its view remains among the best in town. Even better, there are now two outdoor terraces where guests can kick-start the holidays with the limited edition Christmas Kiss (HK$148), crafted with Hennessy VSOP cognac, whole egg and cardamom, which comes topped with grated nutmeg and cranberries.

Aqua’s Christmas Kiss cocktail. Photo: Handout

Ranked one of Asia’s 50 Best Bars last year, DarkSide is not skipping out on the festive fun, either. Together, Arkadiusz Rybak and Simone Rossi and have created two winter warmers. Featuring Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie whisky, biscotti, lemon, apple, ginger, chamomile and cinnamon tea, the Lost in the Toddy (HK$180) is a twist on the classic Hot Toddy. The bar’s very own special All The Way mulled wine (HK$180), meanwhile, uses Rémy Martin VSOP cognac, Visciolata del Cardinale dessert wine, spices and ginger to produce a feisty concoction guaranteed to transport you to European Christmas markets – quarantine free.

9 of the best negroni bars in Hong Kong for Negroni Week 2021

Away from the harbourfront, in Jordan, Terrible Baby has some advent-ageous drinks of its own. The Sinterklass (HK$85) pays homage to Holland’s historical Saint Nicholas and, like Santa himself, is intended to bring joy to all. Centred around fat-washed salted caramel dark rum and vanilla bitters, this smooth cocktail may not look like an eggnog but it packs all the same sorts of flavours.

Terrible Baby’s Christmas cocktails this year, the Krampus and the Sinterklass. Photo: Handout

The Krampus (HK$85) is its dark alter ego, based on the Alpine legend of Krampus, the demonic-looking creature who scares children who have misbehaved throughout the year. Made with aged coconut-infused whiskey, coffee liqueur, pandan and cold brew coffee, this fiendish cocktail is a good fit for all those who’d rather be naughty than nice.

In Mong Kok, at Alibi, bar manager Leo Cheung has fashioned an original creation for those seeking a hefty kick. His Popcornvardier (HK$168) includes a double shot of Shirazaki whisky, Campari, cold brew coffee, cherry brandy and popcorn-infused Blanco vermouth topped up with stout beer foam. “As this cocktail is designed to enjoy after dinner, I was inspired to add the creamy stout beer foam on top and present it like a drinkable dessert,” explains Cheung. “I hope it will charm guests with its impeccable infusing of bitter and sweet flavours.”

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.
  • The city’s best bartenders are going all out for the holiday season, crafting seasonal specials that mix classic flavours with festive ingredients and flair
  • Try the The Marshmallow at Landmark Mandarin Oriental’s MO Bar, sip on Sevva’s classic eggnog, sample Artesian’s mulled gin and tonic, or enjoy a Christmas Kiss at Aqua