Hong Kong bars in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018

The highest new entry on this year’s list, The Old Man has wowed not just Hongkongers but drinks experts from around the world. Established by three friends all with experience of working at Hong Kong’s most prestigious hotels, this bar – hidden down an alley off of Aberdeen Street – provides notably enthusiastic service as well as excellent drinks.

A fixture on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list since day one, Lobster Bar is a Hong Kong institution. Situated within the Island Shangri-La, in Admiralty, this establishment has a deserved reputation for serving well-made classic cocktails. It’s not for nothing that Lobster Bar is known internationally as a drinks destination.

It’s been four years since Stockton burst onto the Hong Kong scene but it feels like the kind of place that’s been around forever. Perhaps that’s due to its interior stylings, the bar dressed up like an Edwardian-era gentlemen’s club. The drinks are anything but old fashioned, though. The menu changes regularly and there are always new surprises to discover.

Local hero Antonio Lai’s first bar, Quinary deserves legendary status in Hong Kong. When it opened in 2012 it was the first bar to bring ‘multi-sensory mixology’ to the city. The bar remains cutting edge and its foam-topped Earl Grey Caviar Martini, complete with globules of ‘earl grey caviar’, is one of the recognisable cocktails in Hong Kong.

This buzzing, two-floor bar and Japanese restaurant has outposts in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the USA, such is its quality. Home to a well-stocked bar of Japanese sakes and whiskies, it’s Zuma’s bar development manager, Arkadiusz Rybak, and his knack for visually appealing cocktails that’s garnered Zuma in Central so much fame.

Often overlooked as a drinking destination – not a surprise when your bar is part of the only Italian restaurant outside of Italy to have three Michelin stars – 8½ is finally getting credit for its drinks as well as its food. That’s thanks to Devender Kumar, bar manager and a Barcardi Legacy winner, whose signatures, The Optimist and Pocket Square, are unmissable.

Hong Kong could do with more bars like The Pontiac, its grungy aesthetic unique within Hong Kong’s upscale cocktail scene. But it’s not just the dive bar vibes and rock ’n’ roll playlist that have made this place such a popular destination. The drinks are spot on, especially the classics, and the staff are among the most fun and engaging in Hong Kong.