Rubin Verebes is the managing editor of Foodie and is very opinionated. Transforming his hobby of eating and drinking into a career, he shares his account of Hong Kong’s F&B scene and the worldwide state of dining in Rubin’s Take, a monthly opinion column.
Ten years ago, a craft cocktail at a leading tropical-themed cocktail bar in Central would set you back just HKD95. A spritz at a Sheung Wan watering hole was HKD78. Beers on Wan Chai’s Lockhart Road strip would not see prices above HKD70.
With Hong Kong establishing itself as a centre for Asian cocktail excellence in the 2020s, the standard has risen immensely. Cocktails are produced with luxury ingredients and Instagrammability in mind. A defined concept and story are musts to ensure a bar offers an escape and not just cheap thrills.
With this rise in standards has come the inevitable inflation of cocktail pricing. A price tag of HKD108 is commonly found at Tsim Sha Tsui, Causeway Bay, and Wan Chai bars. HKD120 is the go-to rate for new concept bars in Soho. HKD150 to even HKD180 cocktails are the norm for the glitzier spots around Hong Kong.
Rent, human labour, ingredients costs, among other factors, have determined the almost-standard price of cocktails in the city. Such factors offer operators and bartenders little wiggle room to balance margins and profit. Understandably, the customer bears this cost spending more per drink as previous years.
The standards, like the prices, have risen in recent years. Asia’s 50 Best Bars award ceremony came to Hong Kong in 2024, crowning Bar Leone as the first in the region. This continued a four-year reign for the city, beginning with COA’s awarding in 2021. Hong Kong earned the second most awards with nine bars ranking in the top 50, behind Singapore’s 12.
The names of bartenders Lorenzo Antinori, Jay Khan, Antonio Lai, Jade Lau, Ezra Star, John Nugent, and Gagan Gurung have stood as global ambassadors of the city’s bartending space. No longer are Hong Kong bars nameless – they come with prestige.
A decade ago, Hong Kong’s drinks space was dominated by the often-rowdy scenes of Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai. Then, beer was the dominant alcoholic medium. A more sophisticated drinking culture has been heralded since, where world-recognized mixologists have come to be discovered.
With that, the price of a night out has risen, costing anywhere from HKD400 to HKD800 with a sampling of three to six cocktails. Whilst visiting bars and sipping cocktails every weekend may not be a protected right for every Hong Konger, my hope is that bars can offer a range of priced drinks with more simple mixes to ensure every wallet is pleased on a night out.
A Soho-based bar I am quite fond of opened last year with a menu of HKD80 cocktails with no service charge. A year on, they raised their prices to HKD90, but the quality of their inventive mixology continues to impress me. I concede their rent must be high yet they manage to thrive with their consistently affordable cocktails.
Hong Kong thrives on the extreme between affordable and luxury. The bars located on the edge of the harbour offering cocktails in the high 100s are essential for providing a balance and a service for those seeking opulence.
But, just as balance is key for the bar scene to flourish, venues that are able to provide quality craft cocktails with top ingredients and low prices deserve all the praise.
I fervently believe that Hong Kong stands at the top of Asia for our bar culture. We have the rooftop bars, glitzy cocktail bars, grungy neighbourhood dive bars, classy wine haunts, gin parlours, whisky lounges, old pubs, and dai pai dong drinking. Nevermind the allure of Singapore, Bangkok, or Tokyo’s scene these days, we boast the crazy variance that they cannot compete with.
In October 2024, the Hong Kong government made a bold move to cut tax on premium liquor sold in the city, from 100 per cent tax on alcohol of more than 30 per cent strength down to just 10 percent for the portion above HKD200.
John Lee and health secretary Lo Chung-mau claimed that the new policy would only affect 15 per cent of luxury liquor, with a minimal impact on retail price. Most hard liquor sold to bars, restaurants, and club houses is priced under HKD200.
Online, it was anticipated that the savings from the massive reduction in duty would be passed on to the customers, yet this has not materialized and the price of cocktails remain prohibitively high for Hong Kongers seeking a bar experience at an affordable price.
I predict that rent for bars will not fall massively this year, thus, cocktails will continue to be priced at a high pricepoint to render the bar business viable for bartenders and bar owners.
Bars need our support now more than ever, but just as mocktails are now gaming a foothold on menus, I would love to see one or two ‘cheap’ alternatives sold at bars to remain continuously attractive.
Yet, I have not one bit of longing for great change in the scene. Hong Kong’s bars and cocktails continue to surprise and engage me as bartenders adapt and serve new products. It is a dizzying abundance of new sparkling things for me to treat myself with.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author’s and do not represent or reflect the views of Foodie.
