Drink through Hong Kong to try 40 unique cocktails from The Macallan’s Journey Through Time campaign

By Ritesh Subedi from 8 ½ Otto E Mezzo Bombana

Using ingredients with cane sugar and local herbs, charcoal, along with various spices, Ritesh’s Past cocktail, The Highland Ember, has a mesmerising smoky aroma that pairs wonderfully with the rich flavours of The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old. Meanwhile, those with a sweet tooth will delight in his Present cocktail, Scotch-a-Boba-Loba, which takes inspiration from bubble tea, spiced tea, and 8 ½ Otto E Mezzo’s chocolate martini.

By Pak San Tam from Aoao

Visit trendy restobar Aoao in Central to try head mixologist Pak San’s Double Cask 12 Years Old-based cocktails. Sip on creations like The Legacy of The Macallan, which embodies the tradition and flavours that have been meticulously part of the distillery’s identity over two centuries; or try The Essence of Hong Kong, a modern twist on an Old Pal cocktail with locally produced honey added into the mix.

By Evan Mak from Argo

Evan from Argo is brimming with ideas when it comes to creating sensational cocktails. He shakes up a twist on the classic scotch-based Rob Roy cocktail and calls it the Speyside Legacy, paying homage to the six pillars that make up The Macallan’s foundations. Alternatively, his other creation, Double Harmony, uses vibrant flavours like raspberry, ginger honey, and lemon juice to capture the essence of summer.

By Chun Yee Yeung from Aria

Drawing inspiration from the unique characteristics behind each cask used to mature The Macallan’s whisky, Chun Yee from Aria playfully experiments with aromas, essences, and flavours in his first cocktail, Barrel Atmosphere. Move onto his unique interpretation of Hong Kong-style milk tea in his second cocktail, Easy Afternoon in Hong Kong, which showcases the earthy flavours of Pu’erh tea against vanilla liqueur, lemon juice perfume, and ginger syrup.

By Siu Lung Tsoi from Avoca

Hop on the Star Ferry and drop by Avoca in Tsim Sha Tsui to find Siu Lung behind the bar, where he’ll be stirring up sensational cocktails like Nallacam, a highball-style cocktail that combines the Double Cask 12 Years Old whisky with sherry raspberry jam. He’ll also be whipping up a unique take on the classic Rob Roy cocktail, which features local flavours like hawthorn and salted plum bitters, and white chrysanthemum Rosso Vermouth.

By Chun Ho Chu from B’Hood

In his first creation named Twilight Reverie, Chun Ho from B’Hood expertly vats ingredients like honey pomegranate syrup, bergamot liquor, coffee, and The Macallan’s whisky to represent the brand’s six integral pillars. For his second cocktail, Oriental Harmony, he adds components like tangerine peel luo han guo tea and apple hawthorn soda to tap into Hong Kong’s long-standing herbal tea culture.

By Aster Hoi Ki Yang from Baci

Imagine being in The Macallan’s cask ageing warehouse and smelling the heady aromas from The Macallan’s whisky and oak casks. Aster from Baci captures those scents and reinterprets them into A Moment at the Warehouse, a cocktail made with homemade black tea syrup and palo santo-infused whisky. Her second drink, Shatin Market, is made with The Macallan’s whisky that’s fat-washed with char siu, which allows the cocktail to take on its caramelised and charred flavours.

By Tiffany Lui from Blotto

Escape the crowds at Kennedy Town’s Blotto and try Tiffany Lui’s one-of-a-kind creations. Aside from using the tart flavours of plum sauce – typically served with roasted duck – in her first cocktail, Orga Fillan, she also garnishes the drink with a slice of brie on a savoury rusk. Need something to cool down in the sweltering Hong Kong heat? Try the Summer Bernane, her refreshing take on the classic Mint Julep cocktail with added ingredients such as watermelon and beetroot.

By Cheuk Yiu Wong from Cruise Restaurant and Bar

Taking inspiration from the timeless Rob Roy cocktail that gets its name from a Scottish folk hero who uplifted the poor and fought for an equal society during the early 18th century, Cheuk from Cruise uses ingredients like oaked sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters, and cocoa bitters to create Young Rob Roy. She dedicates her second drink, Justice Served, as a toast to honour the Scottish hero’s actions, and uses ingredients like lemon, carbonised apple juice, and sparkling water.

By Jonathan John Jr Santos Bunoan from Dara

Using unique ingredients like buttered cocoa-washed lambanog (coconut liquor), Johnathan from Dara captures his early beginnings in bartending in his first creation, Root. As we move into the present, he confidently shows his prowess as the head mixologist and bar manager of Dara and channels that into Built, his second drink made with toasted rice cordial, local honey, and carbonated jasmine tea soda.

By Joe Lam Tsz Fung from DarkSide

Whisk yourself away to Rosewood Hong Kong’s DarkSide to find Joe behind the bar. Here, you can experience his cocktails like Gold Fashioned with floral notes like osmanthus and jasmine-infused sherry and bianco vermouth; and Heritage of Delight, which combines Hong Kong’s classic milk tea and Macau’s popular serradura pudding to create a decadent drink that’ll please anyone with a sweet tooth. 

By Sumir Jung Gurung from Lobster Bar and Grill

Sumir from Island Shangri-La’s Lobster Bar and Grill honours The Macallan Distillery by 
reinterpreting the timeless whisky sour cocktail into Transcendence of Time, a sophisticated creation which showcases flavours like green grape, apple juice, and honey. Alternatively, his other creation, Moon Punch, creatively uses local ingredients like pu’erh tea and red bean mooncakes to pay homage towards the Mid-Autumn festival. 

By Chaze Emanuelle Dugang Ureta from Mirage Bar and Restaurant

Mirage Bar and Restaurant’s senior bartender, Chaze uses The Macallan’s whisky to create Dual Delight, an irresistible cocktail based on yuen yeung – a cha chaan teng staple made with milk tea and coffee. Chaze’s second drink, Highlands Gen Z, uses components like homemade dark chocolate cinnamon liqueur and a carbonated tieguanyin tea to represent how the whisky brand continuously adapts its flavours to resonate with today’s consumers while maintaining their century-old traditions. 

By Eldwin Vincent Josep Sutjianto from Ozone

Head for dizzying heights at Ozone, the world’s highest rooftop bar, for a taste of Eldwin’s Clover Club Fix – a fruity reinterpretation of the classic Clover Club cocktail – which sees fino sherry added into the mix. As for his second drink, Orange Speyside, Eldwin nods to the auspicious symbolism of mandarin oranges during Chinese New Year and uses various forms of citrus ingredients like orange cordial, yuzu juice, and orange mandarin bitters.

By Eartha Hui from Quinary

Venture along Hollywood Road and you’ll end up at multisensory cocktail bar Quinary. The venue’s senior bartender, Eartha showcases her creativity in The Golden Ode, which features a milk-washed fino sherry mixture made from bananas, Horlicks, and English breakfast tea. For her second drink, A Toast to Tomorrow, she combines fig leaves, milk, and oolong tea to create a carbonated soda that balances the honey and oak flavours of The Macallan’s Double Cask 12 Years Old whisky.

By Chaser Lo Wai Yim from Red Sugar

Chaser from Red Sugar recreates the classic Rob Roy cocktail and makes it his own in Born, which uses The Macallan’s Double Cask 12 Years Old whisky, a herbaceous blended vermouth, along with Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters. As for his second creation named Blaze, Chaser takes inspiration from yuen yeung and buttered toast found in cha chaan tengs, and serves his cocktail in a classic cha chaan teng cup for authenticity.

By Lam Lee from The Holywell’s

Step into a speakeasy-style bar The Holywell’s and grab a seat by the bar to watch Lam behind the stick. For her first drink, Past, Lam exclusively uses European styled spirits from the 19th century such as Suze Liqueur and Fernet Branca. To represent The Macallan’s Present, she combines the brand’s whisky with a homemade strawberry cordial, lemon juice, and Bianco vermouth to keep things simple and sophisticated.

By Lydia Fung Yin Wong from The Opposites

Pay a visit to Lydia at The Opposites to sip on her locally inspired creations. Those who prefer savoury flavours can look towards The Bondsman to sip on a cocktail which uses concentrated lo sui marinade – a Cantonese master sauce used to poach meat – as one of its ingredients. Alternatively, curb your cravings for something sweet with her second cocktail, Milk and Honey, which features osmanthus and mandarin peel-infused Fernet Hunter.

By Yim Hiu Ching from The St. Regis Bar

Yim Hiu uses ingredients like apples, cinnamon, and smoked grappa in her cocktail, Magellan Apple, to match the unique flavours derived from the sherry-seasoned oak casks used to mature The Macallan’s whisky. Her other creation, Harvest Sunrise, uses nostalgic ingredients like preserved salted plum cordial, which not only adds flavour, but also symbolises how The Macallan has developed over time and established its 200-year-old heritage.

By Yat Long Lo from The Wall Street Bar and Lounge

Tapping into Hong Kong’s history as a collective of fishing villages, Yat Long from The Wall Street Bar and Lounge uses umami-packed ingredients like kelp-infused fino sherry and dried whitebait-infused Hua Diao wine to create his cocktail aptly named Fishing Village. Moving into the Present with his second drink Utopia, Yat Long reinforces the importance of remembering our origins, just like how The Macallan maintains their core values to this day.

Stay tuned to Journey Through Time’s website and Instagram for more updates about the campaign as we reach the campaign’s final stage.