Hong Kong Drinks Worth Seeking

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Hong Kong View

Victoria Harbour separates Hong Kong from Kowloon Peninsula and leads to the South China Sea.

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Hong Kong is a city that’s evolving at quantum speed. In terms of drinking in the former British Dependent Territory, traditions like tea service and medicinal tonics remain, and newer trends like craft beer, specialty coffee and cocktails are taking root with residents. Here are 8 Hong Kong drinks worth seeking, based on my trip from October 30-November 4.

Kung Lee (60 Hollywood Road, Central)


Sugar Cane Juice Hong Kong

Ms. Tsui Wai Mei presides over this open-air spot with soothing street sounds. Kung Lee keeps a sugar cane press near the entrance, which is a dead giveaway about the shop’s specialty. Plum juice, chrysanthemum tea, and sesame tea are supporting players, and Kung Lee also sells bitter turtle shell pudding, which requires a balancing pour of yellow sugar syrup made with rock sugar.

MUST ORDER: Sugar Cane Juice

OZONE (1 Austin Road W, Hong Kong)

Cocktail Hong Kong

The tallest bar in the world occupies The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong’s 118th floor. Take a dedicated elevator from the 103th floor to find OZONE, a sprawling lounge with a jade-backed sushi bar and open air patio that offers spectacular views through black honeycomb overlay. Bartender Teresa Moon‘s cocktail program includes premium ingredients and features a particular brand each month. During my visit, that meant Zacapa rum, fittingly distilled in Guatemala at “The House in the Clouds.”

MUST ORDER: Zacapa Tea, Thai Spritz

Quinary (56-58 Hollywood Road, Central, 852 2851 3223)

Cocktail Hong Kong

Quinary is a bygone British number system. The name is designed to trigger the five senses. This progressive cocktail bar resides in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels, near the world’s longest covered escalator. This is a leathery lounge with a wall of faux filing drawers. Mix-master Antonio Lai utilizes some of the world’s leading lab equipment to produce cocktails, including a centrifuge and Rotavapor. However, instead of getting bogged down in science, he channels the equipment for the sake of ingenuity and fun.

MUST ORDER: Oolong Tea Collins, Earl Grey Caviar Martini

Rabbithole Coffee and Roaster [CLOSED]

Coffee Hong Kong

You don’t have to be Alice in Wonderland to jump down this rabbit hole. Mike Fung carved out a sleek specialty coffee showcase on a Wan Chai side street. The glass fronted cafe’s reclaimed wood bar hosts premium equipment, including a row of four Kyoto style iced coffee drippers and a two-group Synesso espresso machine. The skilled staff clearly knows how to use everything.

MUST ORDER: Barista Latte

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Joshua Lurie

Joshua Lurie founded FoodGPS in 2005. Read about him here.

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