Where to drink in Hong Kong this March

Hungry Pal is the latest fuss-free drinking den joining the fold of elevated dive bars in the city. The gastrobar promises modern takes on pub classics. Inspired by bars that your high-end restaurant bartenders actually drink and hang out at, this new bar is the kind of place where you go to get quality drinks after a stressful day at work. The venue is open daily from lunch until 10pm (until restrictions lift). Ashok, who is in charge of the kitchen, is preparing dishes like chicken and mushroom pie ($88), cajun fried chicken ($148 for a half; $280 for a whole), caprese salad ($168), and grilled salmon served with peppered couscous, shaved radish, and beetroot vinaigrette ($178). The bar, headed by Bikal, will be serving twists to classic cocktails (starts at $68) like Martinez and Last Word, and highballs, with an addition of their signature tea gimlet called Oolong Sour made with oolong milk tea-infused gin. Other drinks on the menu will include beers on tap like Stella Artois and Goose Island IPA, and a wine list focused on Old World wines. 

Rum bar The Daily Tot launches its new cocktail menu called Rum Journey, featuring Caribbean ingredients locally-sourced in Hong Kong. Created by the Daily Tot team led by beverage manager Gerry Olino, The Daily Tot's new cocktail menu features 14 signature rum cocktails and a niche collection of rums sourced from Caribbean distilleries. You'll find classics with twists like their riff on Dark N' Stormy called the Bermuda Triangle made with rum, homemade kumquat liqueur, and Angostura foam and Champagne acid ($110), the sour PB & G made with fresh guava juice, sous-vide pineapple rum with basil, verbena and herb liqueur Petite Verveine, yuzu cordial, and egg white ($120), the fizzy Mamacita made with Takamaka coconut liqueur, Italian red bitter Aperitivo Cappelletti, Prosecco, coconut water served in coconut shell ($100). The bar also updated their non-rum cocktails and added new Australian and Italian wines and draft beers to the new menu. 

If you're celebrating Women's Month, get your gal pals together and join The Daily Tot's quiz night ($500 per person for a team of two; $450 per person for a team of four) on March 14. From 3.30 to 6pm, join the fun and win some exciting prizes while enjoying the afternoon free-flow and some bar bites. It's not only a celebration for women but it's also a drink-for-a-cause event as a portion of the proceeds will go towards ImpactHK. 

Since social distancing restrictions eased in the city, PDT once again welcomed their guests for after-work drinks along with three new additions to their signature cocktail menu. Head bartender Kervin Unido together with PDT bartenders, crafted three new twists that include an Americano called Lunggo Nero ($158) made with Amaro Montenegro, Sunday’s Coffee Shochu, topped with Fever-Tree Tonic; a light martini called The New Granit ($158) made with Fernet Hunter Granit, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Créme de Pêche, and Regan’s Orange Bitters; and a creamy flip called Dulce & Banana ($198) made with Ron Zacapa, Giffard Banane du Brésil, Velvet Falernum, Lustau Palo Cortado Sherry, maple syrup, and a whole egg. So, drop by for some drinks, order some hot dog buns, and check out what's new behind PDT's telephone booth. 

Brighten up your gloomy spring with some refreshing cocktails at Quinary. For the whole month of March, Quinary is turning its space into a botanical garden decorated with herbs and vines and offering fizzy cocktails using ingredients from local farms. Our favourite cocktails from the seasonal menu include classics with a twist like the gimlet-style Green Spring made with gin, sweet basil and cucumber, Indian tonic, and egg white, and the Winter Mule made with bourbon, Amaro Montenegro, lime, saline solution, ginger and mint, topped up with ginger beer. The bar will also offer cocktails on a weekly rotation, highlighting locally sourced ingredients such as Italian sweet purple basil from Common Farms, strawberries and spices from Honest Market, and honey from Wing Wo Bee Farm. To add a bit of fun, guests can play the game of guessing the garnishes that will be used for their cocktails to win prices. The limited-time pop-up is also giving away Fever-Tree limited-edition gin and tonic kits. Follow @quinaryhk on Instagram for more details. 

Want to add some entertaining games to your weekend brunching adventure? Call your friends and head over to Te Quiero Mucho in Sheung Wan and drink and dine with some engaging card and board games (UNO, Unstable Unicorns, Exploding Kittens, Cards Against Humanity, and What Do You Meme), air hockey, or foosball to add to the fun. For $290 per head, enjoy a selection of eat-all-you-can mains and tacos (vegetarian options available) and add a free-flow drink package ($298) to enjoy four G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge cocktails, as well as margaritas, micheladas, mimosas, wine, and beer. 

Reserve seats via Te Quiero Mucho's website. 

Since most of us have adapted to fuss-free drinking, you might want to add this new joint to your next after-work drink sesh. The Last Resort is something between a Canadian dive, back-alley, or roadside bar – except friendlier and run by entertaining and accommodating staff lead by JJ Quintero, Ashim Gurung, and Tracy Villegas. Expect ‘wallet-friendly’ menu with 'approachable and straightforward' drinks reminiscent of your college days that include beers ($40-$50), wine ($40/glass, $180/bottle), and strong cocktails such as whiskey apple, bourbon Coke, rum sour, vodka cranberry, Margarita, and Long Island Iced Tea (all at $50/serving). The bar is for those who've had a tough day and need to see a friendly face or drown their sorrows. Trust us, after a few rounds of Long Island Iced Tea and shotski (hockey shots), you'd somehow feel like the world is normal again.  

For upscale libation, head up to the 25th floor of Mandarin Oriental and check out The Aubrey, the newest addition to the hotel's F&B offering. The resto-bar features three different bar experiences in which guests can enjoy Japanese craft cocktails, Japanese whiskies, and of course, Japanese cuisine. Heading The Aubrey's bar programme is local mixologist Devender Sehgal, formerly the bar manager at Otto e Mezzo Bombana. Expect a core selection of highballs and a chuhai cocktail menu – a rotating selection of three seasonal cocktails using a singular Japanese ingredient – at The Main Bar. Guests can elevate their drinking experience at the four-person Omakase Cocktail Bar, where the talented bar team at The Aubrey will take guests on a unique drinks journey using Japanese spirits and flavours. And if you have a penchant for Champagne or sake, head over to the third bar serving exactly that, plus oysters on the side, including a selection of sake sparklers.

Whisky isn't the automatic go-to when pairing alcohol with food, but more and more culinary experts are embracing the liquid gold to serve a complex meal pairing to their guests. If you haven't tried eating while sipping on whisky, make sure to book a seat at Ritz-Carlton's The Lounge & Bar to enjoy a three-course menu paired with cocktails using Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt and Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky ($688 per person) crafted by seasoned bartender Sky Huo. Dishes will include a starter of smoked salmon carpaccio with creamed horseradish, pomegranate, and yuzu dressing paired with a refreshing highball made with apple juice, soda and lime, flat iron steak with celeriac puree served with porcini mushroom and kale chips for main paired with a Japanese Negroni made with whisky, umeshu, sake, garnished with dried plum (if you don't eat meat, whisper to the chef to make you a miso cured halibut which pairs perfectly well with the single malt). And be sure not to skip dessert with a serving of apple pie vanilla ice cream that can be paired with an Espresso Whisky Martini or with any of the Nikka whiskies. 

Available on March 1 and 26, and April 1 and 30, 6pm to 9pm. Call 2263 2270 or email restaurantreservation.hk@ritzcarlton.com to reserve your seat. 

Tiki bar Honi Honi is back to serve you tipples until nighttime. If you're ready for some heavy drinking, be sure to catch their 12nn to 7pm happy hour featuring beers, spirits, and mixers for only $50 per serving. You also have the option to order their Tiki Taco All Day (12nn to 10pm) that offers three kinds of taco servings ($100 to $145) complete with soft drinks, coffee or iced tea or add $20 to get a beer, wine, or cocktail. If you only got Saturday to pump up some alcohol in your liver, they're also serving free-flow Saturdays (7pm to 10pm) where you can indulge in drink-all-you-can Aperol Spritz, Kozel Premium, mojito, and Prosecco ($250 for two hours or $300 for three hours). 

Uma Nota is celebrating their fourth birthday with the launch of their Sakura Brunch ($500 per person), a multi-course limited-time revolving spring menu until May. Uma Nota's chef Gustavo has collaborated with Max Levy, head chef and founder of Okra Hong Kong, to present dishes like ceviche, sushi and maki rolls, limited edition mains, and mouth watering cakes. For drinks, add in order of their drink-all-you-can sakura-inspired Hanami Highball ($245) made with rose saké, sakura liqueur, ginger beer, and cherry blossom.

Sakura Brunch is available from March 6 to May 30, every weekend and public holiday from 11.30am to 4.30pm. 

Want to learn more about gin and get a first-hand experience at crafting your own gin infusion? Learn from gin-enthusiasts from Gin Maker HK and book a seat at their workshop in Tai Hang on March 20 and 27 (4pm to 5.30pm). Available for $690 per person, the workshop allows you to taste and discover more about gin and tonics and make two bottles of your own gin infusions to take home. 

Book a slot via ginmakerhk.com.  

If you're looking for a new weekend brunch destination, drop by at Hong Kong's first eco-conscious bar Penicillin. Starting March 7 (12pm to 4pm) the bar will offer its new Sunday brunch menu featuring three choices of main course dishes and two hours of free-flow bubbles and mimosas ($298 per person) with an option to add another hour of free-flow for $148. Dishes will include Penicillin’s all-day breakfast that includes a platter of grilled bacon, tomato, Portobello mushroom with cheese, smoked salmon, spinach, hash brown, brown buttered toast, baked beans, and creamy scrambled eggs, or an option of slow-cooked duck leg confit waffle with corn and smoked chorizo, or local pork and apricot burger served with crispy onion rings and tomato jam.

For weekday lunch, take advantage of the bar's Flawless Feed lunch set ($200 per person), which includes three appetisers, a choice of main course and two glasses of fermented drinks available from Mondays to Saturdays.

The 1950s-style watering hole Foxglove recently launched their new Social Club, a happy hour and afternoon dim sum aperitivo. From 12nn to 6pm, Mondays to Fridays, grab a few glasses of Frank’s Highballs ($100 each) – Classic Highball, Hiboru, Highball Hunter, and Fox Highball – or choose from a selection of premium house spirits, house wines, and craft beers available under their Juice Joint menu (starts at $60). Available happy hour cocktails (starts at $80) include Blind Pig, Have The Bees, or Dizzy With A Dame. By 3pm, you can pair your happy hour orders with a choice of three dim sum (for $100) from the new menu created by the head chef Tim Chan which include options of lobster and minced pork siu mai, har gow sea urchin dumplings, mozzarella and shrimp spring rolls with sea urchin, Sichuan xiao long bao pork soup dumplings, and cheeseburger spring rolls, among others from the meat, seafood, or vegetarian selections. 

Every Saturday starting at 12nn, for dim sum orders in Foxglove, guests can add on a free-flow package (valid for three hours) with options of first-class ($498 per person) for servings of J.L. Vergnon Champagne, Bellinis, mimosas, and house cocktails, or the premium package ($388 per person) for glasses of house wines, craft beers, house spirits, juices, and sparkling or still waters.  

Follow Foxglove’s Instagram and Facebook for more information. For bookings, please email reservation@foxglovehk.com or call 2116 8949.

Head over to Zuma for its popular weekend brunch and enjoy the restaurant's two and a half-hour free-flow Champagne packages (starts at $988 per person) and indulge in servings of their seasonal dishes. If you're looking for something that will wake you up, and give you a buzz at the same time, go for the restaurant's new Nitro Espresso Martini ($120). Made with coffee liqueur, vodka, banana, cocoa, ginseng, and kaffir lime, bar manager Lorenzo Coppola adds his twist to the classic martini and serves it straight from the nitrogen generator.