2022 Drinks trends in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has no shortage of themed bars. We have everything from hidden drinking dens inspired by relics of bygone eras to alcohol-specific bars focused on wine, whisky, gin, rum, and sake. "Hong Kong needs more sprits-specific bars like Coa, The Daily Tot, and Dr Fern's," says spirits educator Eddie Nara. With the pandemic halting overseas travel, the public's quest for new experiences has heightened. Niche bars that give an extra bit of novelty stand out among the varied offerings in Hong Kong's bar industry, and over the past year, we have seen more bars that resonate with unique interests like Hong Kong's first awamori bar Awa Awa, Sahara-themed bar Zzura, martini-focused bar Kyle & Bain, innovative bar Argo, and a dessert and cocktail pairing bar, Barcode. Come 2022, we're expecting more niche ideas to pop up in the city.

"I see the martini reigning supreme right now," shares Elliot Faber, co-founder of Sake Central. "Martini is somehow back with a vengeance, along with the rest of 90's pop culture! Also, along the same line of delicious clear alcoholic beverages," he adds. "I swear sake continues to pick up steam with more and more people understanding the nuance and variance between sake styles."

Aside from spirit-specific bars, Coa's (number one Asia 50 Best Bar 2021) co-owner Jay Khan says the industry can expect to see more bartender owned bars. 

"Private member's cocktail bar/club will eventually appear as I believe Hong Kong markets would like to have their own private or discreet area," shares Agung Prabowo, co-founder of eco-friendly bar Penicillin. "Old school live jazz and other live music entertainment cocktail bars will perhaps appear in the last quarter of 2022," he adds.  

Hong Kong has already amassed quite a number of craft beer breweries in the city, and in recent years, gin micro-distilleries and local artisanal brands have also risen, introducing Perfume Trees Gin, Gweilo Gin, N.I.P, and Two Moons in the market. In the coming year, we're predicting that Hong Kong will touch on more liqueurs and other craft alcoholic drinks, following the release of Magnolia Lab's botanical liqueurs and indie umeshu brand Ex Plum Wine.

"I think in 2022, similar approaches from the past year will remain in regards to the ingredients used behind the bar, but we're more likely going to see many new white spirits like gin, tequila, rum, and modifiers float around in the market," says Agung Prabowo. 

Renting a commercial space in Hong Kong is costly. We've seen more and more businesses utilising their venues to house multiple concepts under one roof. There's European brasserie Margo and martini bar Kyle & Bain and Parisian bistro Ami complemented by its whisky bar Wood Ear. Aside from practicality, this allows companies to offer different experiences to their customers. Anticipate more of these venues soon.

We may have been hearing the word 'sustainability' thrown around over the past years, but now that the city has its own zero-waste cocktail bar, Penicillin, and more sustainable processes in place, there's no stopping green initiatives. As the industry embraces the balance between selling a good cocktail experience and protecting the planet, conscious customers are also factoring in sustainability when deciding on their next drink.

"Sustainability will continue to be key in 2022 as consumers increasingly seek brands that demonstrate devotion to protecting the earth and our environment," says Agung Prabowo. 

One of the positive things that came out of the pandemic is that the F&B industry put a focus on local produce. "I wouldn't say this is new, but I forecast bartenders using more of what is available to them locally," shares Jay Khan. "This is partly because it is more responsible and sustainable since using local produce will reduce carbon footprint."

"Looking in our own backyard is the best place to find unique and intriguing ingredients," shares Elliot Faber. "Fernet Hunter, for example, is one of my favourite brands that take advantage of local ingredients. They literally forage in our own back yard to create unique cocktails and variations of their original Fernet Hunter product," he adds. 

As we welcome the New Year, there are also things that might be best left behind.  

Agung Prabowo says that non-alcoholic spirits should not be in the market since a lot of talented bartenders in the city can create their own craft concoctions.

Jay Khan hopes that celebrity-driven brands take a backseat. 

Eddie Nara wants bartenders to keep things simple and not over complicate their drinks.

Elliot Faber, on the other hand, is open to anything. "It's all about execution. The more cliché (or, the more out there and original) the cocktail is, the better!"

Awamori-focused bar Awa Awa plans a special collaboration for the coming year and will be working on the next Karii Maestro bartender competition that will be sending the winning bartender to Okinawa for a chance to put their winning concoction as a ready to drink product in a can. 

As for Sake Central, Elliot Faber says expect them to turn the sake world upside down with deeper communication and education about sake along with chef and product collaborations never seen anywhere in the sake world. 

Multi-awarded bar Coa will be opening Coa’s branch in Shanghai late this year but according to Jay Khan, they are also planning a new site in Hong Kong for a new concept, so stay tuned. 

At Penicillin, 2022 will be more focused on experimental fermentation like Noma, the World's 50 best restaurants 2021, but with more Asian touch. 

We also hear a few new bars opening in the early part of the year, from spirits-focused bars to bartender driven drinking joints. So watch this space for announcements!