December is Hong Kong’s favourite time to drink and celebrate. The weather is palatable, the bars are packed, and we’re feeling the festive mood in our town.
With the days shortening and paid time off being used up for trips to Japan and Taiwan, when you’re back in Hong Kong, be sure to check out these bars for the best Christmas cocktails and drinks to sip on this winter.
Hong Kong’s most fun & creative Christmas cocktails
Tell Camellia’s Whizzdoodles
The warm people behind the tea-inspired cocktail bar in Soho are celebrating Christmas with a quaint theme in the style of “Willy Wonka and the Cocktail Factory”. The temperature might be dropping, so it’s time to enjoy the Whizzdoodles (HKD120), an illustrious tipple featuring the nutty and aromatic flavours of matcha, beetroot, coconut, and chocolate. Roald Dahl would be proud of this pour!
Tell Camellia, LG/F, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Soho, Central, 5715 9985
Te Quiero Mucho’s Ponche Navideno
Whisk yourself to Sheung Wan at Ovolo’s Te Quiero Mucho for a Mexican Christmas celebration complete with a savouring of Ponche Navideno, a traditional winter Christmas punch in Mexico, as part of the restaurant’s festive menu (HKD698 pp). Pairing ingredients such as brown sugar, sugarcane, guava, apple, tamarind, and hibiscus, each sip is herbal and tingles down your throat with a tarty aftertaste.
Te Quiero Mucho, The Sheung Wan, 286 Queen’s Road Central, Central, 3423 3290
Shady Acres’ Nut King Cole
German gin-maker Monkey 47 is partnering up with rowdy Peel Street bar Shady Acres to revive Shady’s Gingerhaus this festive season, unveiling a cute menu to pair with these gingerbready times. Inspired by “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole, the humorous Nut King Cole (HKD100) blends the floral tones of Monkey 47 with nuts, nutmeg, cinnamon, and more for a herbal libation fit for Christmas.
Shady Acres, 46 Peel Street, Soho, Central, 9220 4344
SAVVY’s mulled wine & eggnog
Savour the real Christmas classics at Harbour City’s SAVVY, a Tsim Sha Tsui dining hotspot filled with colours on the plate and surrounding space. Infusing a rich French touch to SAVVY’s two Christmas cocktails, the mulled wine (HKD88) is packed with Viña Maipo, Rémy Martin VSOP, honey, and hints of star anise and cinnamon. Using the same Rémy Martin VSOP, the eggnog (HKD88) brings a simple mix of fresh milk, syrup, and egg yolk to the glass.
SAVVY, Shop 3209A, 3/F, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, 3–27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2113 6188, book here
Dan Ryan’s Chicago Grill’s Christmas beverage menu
Purveyor of hearty American flavours, Dan Ryan’s Chicago Grill is launching a special Christmas beverage menu at all four of its locations in Hong Kong, complementing the meaty, scrumptious festive meals on offer. At Dan Ryan’s Lee Tung Avenue, Cityplaza, Ocean Terminal, and Festival Walk venues, indulge in a special Spiced Cherry Bellini (HKD98) and Clearly a Chocolate Martini (HKD98), two cocktails with great mouthfeel and sizzling sensations when sipped.
Dan Ryan’s Chicago Grill, multiple locations across Hong Kong, book here
Morton’s The Steakhouse’s ‘Tis the Season
The famed Chicago steakhouse based in Tsim Sha Tsui is back with a limited-edition festive cocktail, ‘Tis the Season (HKD160), to light up the festive season with sparkles and strong flavours. The cocktail brings together Absolut Citron vodka, Chambord, Prosecco, elderflower, and cranberry juice for just the right sweet and tang akin with Christmas.
Morton’s The Steakhouse, 4/F, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, 20 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2732 2343, book here
Kakure’s eggnog
Ginza-style drinking and dining haunt Kakure offers a unique Japanese touch to Christmas cocktails in Hong Kong, presenting a simple glass of eggnog (HKD120) featuring the classic nutty, milky, creamy, and aromatic notes familiar to the festive beverage. The downtown Central-located alcohol den uses shochu to create this tipsy milk-based cocktail.
Kakure, Shop M20–24, M/F, Prince’s Building, 10 Chater Road, Central, 2522 9990, book here
