7 Best summer cocktails to try in Hong Kong

If you're feeling experimental, we're adding this interesting sour drink to the mix for you to consider. Head over to the new hidden oasis on Hollywood Road called Zzura. The bar offers drinks inspired by Middle Eastern flavours, and Around The Globe ($120) spotlights the sharp and aromatic notes of cumin. The drink is made of cumin-infused Brazilian cachaça Abelha, yuzu juice, and cumin syrup served with eye-catching, citrus-smoke filled edible bubble. The result is a balanced, spiced drink with a surprising and appetising aroma of freshly cooked samosa dough. The cumin notes, which anchors the drink, is an acquired taste, but once you get used to it, you'll definitely ask for more.

Rosewood's award-winning bar, DarkSide, recently launched a high-concept luna-inspired cocktail programme, and we're still over the moon with some of our favourite servings from the menu. The menu's stiff entries are great, but the Waxing Gibbous ($180) makes an excellent summer drink as one sip can easily transport you to a tropical island paradise. The clear liquid – served in a lowball glass designed with an illuminated cosmos print at the bottom – is a mix of Grey Goose vodka, Tio Pepe sherry, coconut, pandan vinegar, and lychee, served over ice with a drop of aromatic sandalwood. 

If you have not been to the apothecary-themed bar Boticario, make this season an excuse to head to TST and imbibe on the bar's Pear-scription Spritz ($118). The cocktail is inspired by a modern classic cocktail, an elderflower spritz called Hugo invented in 2005 in the North of Italy. Boticario's rendition is a malty concoction made with pear-infused London dry gin, Widges, St. George pear brandy, elderflower liqueur, fresh lemon juice, topped with jasmine kombucha and Prosecco. The result is a crisp and thirst-quenching drink that is just what the doctor ordered for summertime drinking. If you are craving something more tropical, we also recommend Crazy in the Coconut ($98), it's a delicately sweet and savoury coconut milk concoction that can easily whisk you away to a sultry beach. 

A Negroni is a great aperitif for summer. It is bitter, sweet, dry, yet very refreshing and a perfect palate pick-me-up. This summer, try a white version of this crimson-coloured classic. Head to hidden Staunton bar The Poet and grab a glass of their Golden Negroni ($138) crafted by beverage director Tony Hsu. This golden-hued cocktail uses gin, jasmine-infused Suze and Lillet Blanc, Pampell – a ruby red grapefruit aperitif – and rosemary saline solution. It channels the essence of a classic Negroni yet it's more delicate on the palate, making it a great elixir for hot and humid evenings. 

Citrus ice-cold drinks provide instant respite from the sweltering heat, and Jordan bar Terrible Baby will provide you exactly that with their refreshing calamansi daiquiri Puppy Love ($95). This rum sour is crafted using an overproof rum from the Ron Colón Salvadoreño range, mixed with lime leaves, calamansi juice, topped with a creamy guava foam that acts as the sweetening agent. The humble little calamansi fruit – often found in Philippine and Indonesian cuisine – adds a burst of a bright, zesty note and packs a punch to this invigorating drink. 

Milk Punch is a classic cocktail recipe that dates back to the 1700s. Today, most Hong Kong bars offer their own twist to this classic drink, and Argo's Bark, Leaf & Love ($140) is one of our favourites. Served in a special ceramic glass, the concoction is a mix of Barr Hill honey gin, longan shell and ivy leaf tea, preserved strawberries, split cream, and sandalwood. It's luscious, creamy, and comforting, perfect for late afternoon imbibing. 

A classic gimlet made with gin, lime juice, and simple syrup is a summertime staple. American martini bar Kyle & Bain adds an herbal and savoury twist to this classic sour drink. Kyle & Bain's resident mixologist John Nugent crafted his signature Gimlet ($140) with a blend of Genever (malted grain-based spirit), Japanese gin, Mastiha (a liqueur made from mastic, a pine-like flavoured resin from Greece), anise, and a homemade salad cordial (made with cucumber, lime zest, leeks, salt, and pepper) that adds savoury vinegar-like notes to the drink. The drink is garnished with a truffled-flavoured dwarf peach which adds as a treat to the drink.