I wanted to stop for a moment to give a shout out to a couple of amazing Hong Kong bars. I haven’t really shown HK enough love on this blog recently, and I definitely plan to correct that as I can.
Last month in Barcelona, the world’s get-you-drunk industry got together to celebrate the 50 Best Bars in the world (according to some people). If you were there, I’m totally not at all jealous. Nope. Not one bit. If you weren’t, it’s cool; you can relive all of the magic vicariously on their YouTube channel.
The first part of 2022 was ROUGH in Hong Kong. Bars were mostly shutdown; restaurants (and bars operating as restaurants) couldn’t allow dining in after 6pm. We were all just drinking at home like a bunch of losers (fortunately, there were some great take-away cocktail options). Despite all of that, two top-notch bars in Hong Kong managed to make the Top 50 list. Let me tell you about them.
Coa
Coming in at number 17 – the best bar in Hong Kong – is Jay Khan and his team’s amazing mezcal bar, Coa. And let’s not forget that they crushed it earlier this year taking the top spot on the Asia’s 50 Best List for the second year in a row.
Without a doubt, this place has the best mezcal and tequila collection in Hong Kong. And they’ll happily put together a delicious tasting flight for you or make one of their signature cocktails for you. Either way, you’ll develop a whole new appreciation for the category while you’re here.
Personal favorites of mine off the menu are the Siniestro (unsurprising I’m sure as you all know I love a good manhattan variation) and the Three Salt Margarita (includes actual insect bits). And of course, I do love sampling a good flight. You gotta make sure to grab some bar snacks, though, to keep up your drinking strength. Good guacamole is hard to find in Hong Kong, but these guys do it right; make sure to grab some chips and guac (or a quesadilla) to go with all of that delicious agave booze.
Argo
Just over a year old, Argo is the snazzy new spot at the Four Seasons Hong Kong, and it’s arguably one of the most beautiful bars out there.
Lorenzo Antinori, Summer Lo, Yvonne Chan, and all of the rest of the crew at Argo have been working hard to make this place amazing in both visual aesthetic and quality of the beverages and service. It paid off as they showed up as a new entry on the World’s 50 Best list at number 28.
The menu is a mix of all sorts of flavors, both classic and novel. You’ll find excellent martinis and negronis on the list, along with a high-tech old fashioned made with a molecular whisky from San Francisco called Glyph. They’ve got a new menu coming out right now, though. And I’m sure they’ll get up to whole new shenanigans with that. Be sure to drop in and see what they’re up to.
