Best Sips is a look-back on the most incredible drinks — alcoholic or otherwise — we had in the past week. Those which renewed our love for established venues; caught our attention at a new opening; or freshly impressed upon us the creativity and skill of Hong Kong’s talented bartenders and mixologists alike. From tipples at charming dive bars to award-winning apéritifs at five-star establishments, these are the best drinks to try in Hong Kong; the drinks we’d recommend you make a special trip for.
These were the best drinks we sipped on and savoured this week:
DarkSide
The drink: All the Way Mulled Wine (HK$180)
The Holiday Season, for yours truly, doesn’t really begin until my first sip of mulled wine. And as someone who, typically, refuses hot drinks — I prefer my water practically frozen; my coffee iced through the dead of winter — it’s a testament to this very specific genre of wintry tipple that causes all rules (for the other eleven months of the year, anyways) to be thrown out the window.
Because a glass of mulled wine, to me, means an amble through London’s Winter Wonderland with steaming white styrofoam cups in hand; through New York’s Union Square Holiday Market stationed below where I lived through college. It’s a warming, dangerously sweet sip immediately evocative of Christmases past. Evocative of fresh snow; of big, big coats; of feeling so very warm all the way through — even in the blistering cold. And that’s the feeling the All the Way Mulled Wine at DarkSide (served up in an adorable mug!) gave me. Made with Remy Martin VSOP, Visciolata del Carindale, spices and ginger with all the trimmings you’d expect from this classic drink, DarkSide’s Mulled Wine is a beautiful precursor to Rosewood Hong Kong’s laundry list of holiday festivities. Like the imitation snowfall that sprinkles through the hotel every evening. Snow in Hong Kong! Magic.
Though, like all good things, DarkSide’s festive cocktails (including their Hot Toddy!) are only available for a short time, through New Year’s Day. So get in! Feel the joy! And happy holidays. — Joey Wong, Editor
DarkSide, Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 3891 8732
Ho Lee Fook
The drink: Lucky Buck (HK$138)
One glance of this lucky golden cat will give you a pretty good guess where this Best Sip is from. A single try to get it right. You have to. Ho Lee Fook. Yes! They’re back! With an entirely new look that is so much more glamorous, I might add.
Just like the waving kitties at the front of the restaurant’s iconic entry, this golden feline is caught mid-wave, paw up in the air. The other clutches a gold nugget with the restaurant’s name emblazoned over the front as it sits — perched — atop a paper coaster printed with golden cats aligned neatly in the same posture awaiting its next photograph. So cute! But however delightful this cat cup was, the drink itself was also a delight. A concoction of Ballantine’s blended scotch, yuzu curd, honey, orange and Fever Tree ginger beer, I was told it’s as if “yuzu and yakult had a baby”. A close enough comparison. Lightly creamy with a sharp touch of citrus, the deliciously dangerous libation is mellowed out by the fizz of ginger beer that also offered a mild warmth with every sip. I love it, I’m sure you’ll love it and the most interesting part, it’s a cocktail that goes perfectly in hand with Ho Lee Fook’s renewed Cantonese menu by chef Chan, too. — Lorria Sahmet, Editor
Ho Lee Fook, G/F, 1-5 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2810 0860
DarkSide
The drink: DarkSide ecoBERRIES-COOLER (HK$90)
The deeper we delve into the month of indulgence, the more we appreciate the things that are, well, less on-theme. Above par, or under, depending on your perspective. The ecoBERRIES-COOLER, a foodpanda-pink mocktail from the minds of Arkadiusz Rybak and Simone Rossi in partnership with ecoSPIRITS, was exactly the sort of above par refreshment I needed on a Post-MMMs Awards Tuesday afternoon. A simple mix of KUPPA strawberry kombucha, red berries shrub and cold brew tea, it’s a lighter way to appreciate the DarkSide. — Nathan Erickson, Editor-in-Chief
DarkSide, Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 3891 8732
Dr. Fern’s Gin Parlour
The drink: Dr Fern’s Santa’s Toddy with Christmas Gin Jelly (HK$180)
To share the Christmas joy, Dr. Fern’s is teaming up with Landmark to raise awareness of mental health issues and give back to the community, donating HK$10 to Mind HK for every drink set purchased. Santa’s Toddy, one of two drinks in this initiative, is a delightful, sweeter twist on a classic Hot Toddy, made with Four Pillars Christmas Pudding Gin instead of the traditional whiskey. I’m a little biased because I love festive sips — mulled wine, eggnog, give me all of ‘em! — but I can truthfully say this is one I will happily re-order all evening. For charity, of course! — Sandra Kwong, Features Editor
Dr. Fern’s Gin Parlour, Shop B31A, Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2111 9449
Club Feather Boa
The drink: Signature Strawberry Daiquiri (HK$95)
Whoever said Strawberry Daiquiris are ‘weak’ and for the half-senders obviously haven’t tried the ones at Club Feather Boa. It serves the best daiquiris in Hong Kong by far. Not only because they’re strong, but they’re extremely delicious; you’ll definitely get a second round!
This week, I had a girls’ night and decided to check out this small bar in the heart of Central. The bar is decorated with antiques, a wall full of extravagant mirrors and dainty flowers — perfect for an insta-pic. With all cocktails priced at HK$95, they have a range of daiquiris, from the classic strawberry, to pineapple, mango, banana and lychee. I tried the lychee and strawberry flavour — both were fantastic — but I fell in love with the strawberry.
What’s so special about their daiquiris? The cup is rimmed with cocoa powder, leaving a sweetness on your lips. Who knew a hint of chocolate would pair perfectly with a daiquiri? — Subin Hong, Editorial Intern
Club Feather Boa, G/F, 38 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2857 2586
(Header and featured images courtesy of DarkSide, Rosewood Hong Kong)
Lifestyle Asia
Here's where you can read the latest news and stories from Lifestyle Asia and our sister titles PrestigeOnline and Augustman, curated from all of our editions in Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and India.
Most Popular
