The Aubrey’s Tottori cocktail. Photo: Handout
Source:
https://scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3159221/hong-kongs-best-new-cocktails-try-december-arent-festive Leisure
Hong Kong’s best new cocktails to try this December (that aren’t festive), from The Aubrey’s pear-infused Tottori to Fuel Espresso’s Double Happy coffee-whiskey concoction
- Dr Fern’s is mixing up its winter menu with an Agras Abloom gin and tonic plus an anti-inflammatory wellness-focused Tropical Antidote made with lemongrass
- Aqua’s Kombu-infused Japanese Sea combines whisky with clarified yuzu and lemon, while Stockton has created a new Hunter S. Thompson-inspired cocktail menu
Agras Abloom gin and tonic at Hong Kong bar Dr Fern’s. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong is home to some of the best bars in the world, and there are always new delights being created for epicureans to savour. And just because it’s the festive season doesn’t mean that Christmas cocktails are the only new drinks in town. There’s an array of curious new flavours to sample this winter, whether it’s delectable Japanese fruits or American lager you fancy mixed in your drink.
Here are five of the best new cocktails in Hong Kong.
Tottori
What: Japanese pear, gin and sweet potato shochu
Where: The Aubrey
Potency: 2/5
In the latest edition of its seasonal menu, the bar team at The Aubrey is making use of Japanese pears. Delicately sweet, it adds an invigorating autumnal fruitiness to both food and drink. As well as the Tottori, also available are the Kokumi (Japanese pear, rye whiskey, awamori, honey, citrus and nasturtium) and Nijuseki (Japanese pear, Lillet Blanc, champagne vinegar, wakamomo peach). Each cocktail is priced at HK$180 (US$23) and will be available until December.
Ägräs Abloom G&T
Agras Abloom gin and tonic at Dr Fern’s. Photo: Handout
What: Ägräs Abloom gin, fitch and Leedes blue tonic, garnished with a beeswax nest, rhubarb and blueberry compote
Where: Dr Fern’s Gin Parlour
Potency: 3/5
The venerable Dr Fern’s is mixing up its menu for winter. New signature G&Ts include the Ägräs Abloom G&T (above), but also a Sakurao Hamagou one, which mixes the Japanese gin with London Essence Company bitter orange and elderflower tonic, shiso leaf, rosemary, edible flowers and an antioxidant-rich green tea tincture (HK$190).
Other “wellness-focused” tipples added to the menu include the Tropical Antidote – a fragrant drink made with lemongrass-infused Widges London Dry Gin. The aromatic Asian grass is well known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties and “may help protect against winter sniffles”, according to the bar, while the inclusion of pineapple not only adds fantastic tropical flavour but a dose of bone-strengthening vitamins B and C. A pink salt rim completes Dr Fern’s antidote and ensures fluid balance.
Double Happy
Double Happy cocktail at Fuel Espresso. Photo: Handout
What: Talisker 10-year-old whisky, Fuel Espresso Dark Cuvée Caffè Espresso
Where: Fuel Espresso
Potency: 4/5
Coffee masters Fuel Espresso have partnered with Moët Hennessy Diageo to create four new permanent additions to their menu so you can get your nightcap as well as your morning pick-me-up at each of their seven locations. Beyond the Double Happy, Fuel is also serving its own spins on the martini and gin and tonic, as well as a latte spiked with Ron Zacapa Centenario Rum.
Japanese Sea
New drink Japanese Sea at Hong Kong bar Aqua. Photo: Handout
What: Kombu-infused Johnnie Walker Black Label, Talisker 10 whisky, clarified yuzu and lemon, moshio salt, soda water
Where: Aqua
Potency: 4/5
Aqua has moved to new digs along the Tsim Sha Tsui harbourfront and reinvigorated its drinks menu at the same time. Its Travel-Tails menu features 10 signature cocktails and six non-alcoholic drinks, and aims to explore the intrinsic tastes and ingredients hailing from regions of Japan and Italy – homes of the cuisines that inspired the establishment of Aqua itself. As well as the Japanese Sea, other highlights include the Fuji Fizz (Kikusai Tokusen sake, smoked hojicha, clear and carbonated Fuji apple and sakura bitters) and green olive (Green olive-infused Mancino Secco, burnt rosemary, orange bitters and prosecco).
Hells Angels
The Hell’s Angels drink at Stockton. Photo: Handout
What: American lager, Macchu Pisco, local farm plum honey, spiced coffee, milk, citrus, clear corn
Where: Stockton
Potency: 3/5
Stockton always goes to great lengths when it revamps its cocktail menu and the Wyndham Street haunt’s latest is no exception. A previous menu already took inspiration from literary giants and their notorious libation fixation but this time Stockton is going all-in on that most hedonistic of writers, Hunter S. Thompson. There are 12 new bevvies to try, with the new Creativity of Sins menu one of the most original in town with ingredients ranging from apple pie to lecithin and everything in between.
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