Heading back to Hong Kong for a long-overdue visit? Toast your return with a cocktail or two at one of these recently opened drinking establishments.
Left to right: Tom Egerton stirring things up at The Mixing Room; a rye version of the classic Millionaire cocktail at Uncle Ming’s. (All photos courtesy of their respective bars)
The Mixing Room
The latest offering from Iron Fairies designer Ashley Sutton, The Mixing Room is a rustic, whimsical drinking den with countless vintage bottles hanging from its ceiling filled with fairy dust, poems, and other “magical” ingredients. The drinks menu is curated by veteran cocktail mixer Tom Egerton and inspired by characters from Sutton’s own children’s book trilogy; try Jilo the Bastard, a spin on the Manhattan muddled with garam masala and distilled banana.
Uncle Ming’s
Whisky lovers shouldn’t miss this 25th-floor perch at the months-old AKI hotel in Wan Chai, where more than 80 international whiskies can be savored against the glittering skyline. Can’t decide? Try the six-dram Around The World flight, which might include Paul John single malt from Goa or a bourbon cask–aged blend from Bordeaux’s Château d’Arche.
Left to right: Inside Sheung Wan’s Behind 69; a fruity Lychee & Co cocktail at Bianco & Rosso.
Behind 69
With just 14 seats, Behind 69 is an intimate speakeasy tucked behind 69 on Jervois, a new British bistro in Sheung Wan. The cocktails take inspiration from the neighborhood’s rich history (this is where the British first arrived in Hong Kong) with names like the So Hong Sinner, GoDown, and Fragrant Nullah.
Bianco & Rosso
Just a five-minute walk from Behind 69, Hong Kong’s first “house of vermouth” is led by mixologist Luca Andrei, whose menu features an impressive selection of vermouths and other fortified wines alongside deliciously sippable cocktails like the Apfel Strudel and Lychee & Co.
A seating nook with harbor views at Uncle Ming’s.
This article originally appeared in the March/May 2023 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Bar Necessities”).
