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Wine and Spirits

Wine and Spirits
News and trends in luxury wine and spirits
highlights from
100 Top Tables 2025 Restaurant Directory
100 Top Tables 2025 Restaurant Directory
How are Hong Kong’s bars adapting to changing trends in drinking and socialising in 2026? Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong’s bar scene was extra volatile last year – what’s in store for 2026?

A take on the traditional Central Asian dining space, known as dastarkhan, at Yurt in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

First Look: Yurt, Hong Kong’s ‘first modern Central Asian restaurant’

At Mesa by José Avillez, the restaurant’s namesake chef (left) works closely with head chef Herlander Fernandes to craft a menu that reinterprets Portuguese cuisine for international diners in Macau.

Mesa by José Avillez celebrates artistry of Portuguese cuisine in Macau

In partnership with:SJM Resorts
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Bangkok’s cuisine is vibrant and multifaceted, like the city itself. Photo: Handout

Unsung Eats: 5 best places to eat – and drink – in Bangkok

Sicilian artisanal busiate with Mediterranean red mullet at Tosa di Angelo in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Dish in Focus: Sicilian artisanal busiate at Tosca di Angelo

More from 100 top tables
Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Jodi Clark, seen in January 2023 and this month, who now runs online groups, challenges and retreats for women, has lost 38kg (84lb) since she stopped drinking more than 3 years ago. Photo: Jodi Clark
Wellness

The huge benefits of quitting alcohol, from weight loss to slowing ageing

Ex-drinkers and sobriety experts explain how life is better and healthier without drinking as many attempt the same during Dry January.

Food and Drinks

Drink in focus: Egg Waffle cocktail at Avoca

Food and Drinks

Hong Kong’s bar scene was extra volatile last year – what’s in store for 2026?

Food and Drinks

Mouthing Off | Dry January is a silly social campaign and ‘no-lo’ drinks are pointless

Andrew Sun asks that with alcohol consumption at record lows in many places, why do we need Dry January and no- or low-alcohol drinks?

(From left) Carlsberg 0.0, Peroni 0.0, Budweiser 0.0 and Kirin’s Perfect Free are four non-alcoholic beers available for sale in Hong Kong shops. Photo: Cathy Hilborn Feng
Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for January 16-18

Peridot gets an Italian twist, Kinsman celebrates its 2nd anniversary with Cantonese flavours, and new bar Mius hosts Singaporean icons.

Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend food guide for January 16-18

Indulge in Michelin-starred Huaiyang cuisine, a French free-flow champagne brunch with theatrical desserts, and a royal Indian banquet.

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Your Perfect Week

Our cheat sheet for what to do in Hong Kong, January 11-17

Disney on Ice skates into town, the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon takes over, and Cristal Room hosts a star Beijing chef.

Mickey and Minnie perform during Disney on Ice, which is returning to Hong Kong at Kai Tak Arena. Photo: courtesy Disney on Ice
On Our Radar

A Napa legend, a Cantonese feast and a very bold pairing

The Californian vineyard that stunned the wine world 50 years ago is being paired with Cantonese cuisine.

Food and Drinks

The instant flavour booster you’re probably throwing away

Citrus zest – the colourful part of a lemon, orange or lime – can be stripped in many ways for use in marinades, salads, desserts and more.

Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for January 8-10

Keep January dry with mocktails at Dragonfly and The Pontiac, courtesy of Seedlip and Crossip, or explore inventive cocktails with Quinary’s guest bar manager from Paris.

A number of Hong Kong bars have announced non-alcoholic drink menus. Photo: Handout
Food and Drinks

5 premium sparkling teas in Hong Kong to try during Dry January

From The Peninsula’s Cuvée Sparkling Tea to Saicho’s limited-edition osmanthus offering, these low- or zero-alcohol tipples let you ditch the hangover but not the ceremony.

Saicho is just one of many labels offering non-alcoholic beverage options today. Photo: courtesy Saicho
Food and Drinks

Unsung Eats: 5 best places to eat – and drink – in Bangkok

Besides Bangkok’s Michelin-starred tables and famed street food are intimate supper clubs and ‘social kitchens’ that are reinterpreting Thai flavours.

TV shows and streaming video

Apple TV’s Drops of God star Tomohisa Yamashita on going deeper in season 2

Yamashita talks about ‘hard’ free-diving scenes in the wine drama’s new season as co-star Fleur Geffrier shares how her character got darker.

Food and Drinks

Celery seeds’ many uses, from flavouring Bloody Marys to treating gout

Celery plants, known for their stalks, also yield tiny aromatic fruits used in European and Indian food, cocktails and alternative medicine.

Bloody Marys often contain celery seeds, the tiny fruits that come from the same plant as celery stalks, and impart a similar aromatic flavour. Photo: Shutterstock
Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for January 2-4

A chance to catch up on openings you may have missed – and if you’re taking a break from alcohol, we’ve got you covered too.

Floral Fusion at the Orchard, which offers eau de vie cocktails in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout
Locals' Guide

Insider’s guide to Perth, from sun-kissed beaches to local fine wines

Most of the action in one of the world’s most remote major cities is to be found in the suburbs – but don’t forget your swimsuit for the beautiful beaches.

Singapore

Cooler cubes: how artisan ice became part of the cocktail experience

Singapore’s Night Hawk and Last Word bars approach the subject of ice as another differentiator in a crowded marketplace.

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Hong Kong economy

Can Hong Kong mature as a wine hub? French vineyard owner calls for new focus

Seventh-generation winemaker Erwan Faiveley encourages city to up logistical and storage services during first post-Covid fact-finding trip.

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Wines from Domaine Faiveley and Bullard-Simon in Burgundy, France. Photo: Oscar Liu
Food and Drinks

Dish in Focus: French onion soup at Somm

Jason Wolf brings a version of the French bistro classic to Somm – ‘warmth in a bowl’ that takes into consideration the local palate.

Food and Drinks

3 festive drink recipes to try at home, from Hong Kong’s bartenders

Festive drinks for your New Year’s Eve celebrations, from showpiece pours to minimal effort mixes.

What to do in Hong Kong

The best New Year’s Eve countdown parties in Hong Kong for ringing in 2026

Highlights include DJ Willer at The Aubrey, DJ Anil Ahuja at The Trilogy, and South Korea’s DJ Drako at Gossip.

Terrible Baby at Eaton HK is throwing a Back to the Future party on New Year’s Eve. Photo: Handout
Food and Drinks

Maximalist cocktails are back, but not the garish ones of yesteryear

From Seoul to London to New York, bars buck the minimalist trend with boldly flavoured, classy drinks that create a multisensory experience.

A Beyond the Sea cocktail at the London bar Nightjar. Featuring a briny foam to evoke sea spray and served in a giant shell, the cocktail epitomises bartenders’ move towards elaborate tipples made with a thoughtful approach. Photo: Nightjar
Food and Drinks

Looking back on a bruising year for Hong Kong’s bar industry

Poignant closures included Stockton, The Daily Tot and Foxglove, but 2025 was also the year of the neighbourhood bar, from Mius and Oasis to Sugar King.

Food and Drinks

Drink in Focus: Tomatoberry Tree at Gokan

Built on a split base of gin and shochu, this nuanced cocktail was created to mimic the architecture of a tomato tree, from trunk to leaf.

Food and Drinks

Your 2025 guide to the best Christmas cocktails in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s bars are upping the ante with their festive cocktails, from exciting takes on mulled wine and eggnog, to gin ‘prescriptions’ and a cheesy pisco sour.

Hot Wine at The Aubrey, Hong Kong, one of the many seasonal drinks on offer in the city this year. Photo: Handout
Food and Drinks

‘Crazy cocktail menu’ at Macau bar honours bartender’s travels in Asia

At Wynn Palace’s Wing Lei Bar, Scottish cocktail maestro Mark Lloyd pours his spirit into tipples inspired by places from Seoul to Singapore.

Scotland-born Mark Lloyd is the head mixologist at Wing Lei Bar in Wynn Palace, in Cotai, Macau. His new menu features twists on classic cocktails inspired by his trips to places from Singapore to Seoul. Photo: Wing Lei Bar
Food and Drinks

3 Hong Kong bars serving festive cocktails with a twist for Christmas

From Bar Q88’s Jingle Bird to DarkSide’s The New Century and Rajasthan Rifles’ spiked masala chai, here are the hottest tipples to spice up your holidays.

Food and Drinks

What to eat on Peng Chau, food-filled Hong Kong island great for day trips

Peng Chau is full of spots serving everything from old-school dim sum to pizza. Be sure to visit at weekends when most restaurants are open.

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