Big, bold and bombastic Hong Kong speaks a different language when it comes to drinking establishments. Its growing breed of speakeasies are sexy, chic – and, thanks to Hong Kong’s labyrinthine streets, alleys and countless commercial buildings – devilishly difficult to find.
Here are 10 of Hong Kong’s best prohibition-style sips.
Stockton
A gray metal gate at a busy junction in central Hong Kong is the only sign of Stockton, a haven inspired by Hunter S. Thompson. Squashy leather sofas, glass cabinets filled with flea market-bought glassware and a hidden cigar room (complete with a leather chair that dates back to World War II) give it the feel of a Victorian hideaway. The cocktails, named after maverick writers, are inspired by their favorite tipples: Raymond Chandler’s Forty-Four with rum, sherry and marshmallow, served in an Instagrammable fish glass.
Butler
Even up five floors of a commercial building in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong’s most popular shopping and entertainment district, Butler is thoroughly Japanese. Dark wood floors and a comfortable Japanese welcome (irasshaimase) will make you feel like you’ve stumbled upon a hidden whiskey bar in Tokyo’s Shibuya. Set on two levels – the fifth floor serves cocktails, the sixth is the whiskey bar – and with fewer than 20 seats per floor, reservations are essential.
Foxglove
Every speakeasy worth its salt hides behind the facade. Foxglove Mask is a great umbrella shop (which, should the Hong Kong skies open up when you’re inside, will actually sell you one). Behind one of the glass cases is a boxy bar decked out in deep navy and bright white. The cocktails, inspired by the adventures of legendary British explorer Frank Manza, are stirred with interesting spirits from Japanese whiskey to ocho blanco. There is also live music at night.
Iron fairies
Styled as an iron foundry by Australian design mastermind Ashley Sutton, Candlelight Iron fairies Heavy duty iron tools fuse with 10,000 safe butterflies hanging from the ceiling. Innovative cocktails and comfort food (think popcorn chicken and burgers) are the norm in this tiny spot under a framing shop on Pottinger Street’s cobbled steps.
J. Borowski
Chrome’s entrance is easy to miss. J. Borowski If you’re heading down Soho’s slightly sketchy Ezra Lane. Named after the New York ‘mix consultant’ of the same name, this intimate haven is part train carriage, part taxidermy shop (watch out for the wall of tarantulas and the beetle tunnel inside). The bar introduces a cocktail ‘concierge’ service, where drinks are tailored to the drinker’s preference.
Mrs. Pound
From the outside, Sheung Wan’s Mrs Pound looks like a stamp shop designed by Damien Hirst. Inside, you’ll find a bright pink-and-green speakeasy, serving cocktails in delicate Chinoiserie teacups (try Mr. Ming’s Negroni with tea bitters) and Asian-fusion small plates. The glowing neon installation at the back is especially Instagrammable.
Feather Boa
Heavy gold curtains behind navy wood doors with a discreet gold ‘Members Only’ sign. These are the only signs at Soho’s Feather Boa (38 Staunton St), a bar so small it has no website or official opening hours (hint: it goes after 10pm). Inside, it’s an antique lover’s dream with brass tasseled lamps, oval mirrors and impressionist paintings hanging everywhere. Among all cocktails, strawberry daiquiris and espresso martinis are the most popular.
Ping Pong Guntoria
Ping Pong Gintoneria proves that speakeasies don’t have to be small. This generously-sized former ping-pong parlor is sandwiched between a local restaurant and a gallery in the fast-paced neighborhood of Sai Ying Pin. Push through the neat red door (a light above indicates when it’s open), and descend into a basement neon-drenched gin palace, where Hong Kong hipsters and casualistas sip goblets under high ceilings. Ping Pong also makes a clean line in Spanish small plates.
Employees only
Imported from Lan Kwai Fong, New York. Employees only Proves that speakeasies can have universal appeal and still remain completely mysterious (the only indication of the bar’s location is the neon-bright red ‘psycho’ sign in the window). A long wooden bar, accented by strip lights, is staffed by some of Hong Kong’s most knowledgeable bartenders, who serve up a whirlwind list of reinvented classic cocktails.
old man
Aberdeen Street old man A friendly homage to Ernest Hemingway and his novel. The Old Man and the Sea. Each reasonably priced, experimental cocktail at this teeny-tiny bar, masterminded by ex-Mandarin Oriental and Shangri-La bartender Agung Prabo, is named after one of the American author’s novels. . Old in name only, this trendy spot is consistently packed with Hong Kong’s most discerning drinkers.