By Josiah Ng

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It’s almost Negroni Week, and The St Regis is preemptively giving us six twists on the cocktail this week – but the rest of our bar scene isn’t slowing down either. New menus from Kinsman and The Opposites expand on established flavours as the former pays homage to five of the world’s great Chinatowns, and the latter offers takes on the paloma, the espresso martini and the sidecar – one each from duo Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok.
Thursday, September 18
Negroni Week – Icons of Italian Mixology at St Regis Hong Kong

What: Negroni Week is almost here! We’ll have you covered with a round-up of key events to celebrate the classic cocktail from September 22 to 28, but in the meantime, the St Regis Bar is kicking things off early by hosting three bartenders offering a total of six Negroni riffs. Simone Rossi, founder of bar and beverage consultancy Rossi Bar, will serve the Luna Rossa, inspired by the Italian sunset. Bar manager of Bulgari Ginza Bar in Tokyo Simone Ciambrone looks to sling the sparkling Via Veneto, and Giovanni Graziadei, director of beverage at The Singapore Edition hotel, looks to round out the trio.
Where: The Drawing Room, The St Regis Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Drive, Wan Chai
When: 7pm-12am
Friday, September 19
Kinsman’s new menu – A Tale of Chinatowns

What: Cantonese libations specialist Kinsman launched a new menu this week that expands its reach globally. Named “A Tale of Chinatowns”, the new menu offers two drinks for each of five distinct landing spots for Chinese immigrants abroad – Singapore, Manila, Kolkata, Bangkok and Lima.
The Miss Joaquim, for example, is named after Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, and imbues the paloma with floral notes using osmanthus rice wine, elderflower, mui kwe lu rose wine and rose tofu. On the richer side, the Raita Gin Fizz pays homage to Kolkata, one of the prominent homes for Chinese in India. The drink combines the texture and foam of the gin fizz classic and the cooling yogurt flavours of cucumber raita.
Where: 65 Peel Street, Central
When: 6pm-2am
Saturday, September 20
The Opposites expands its menu

What: The brainchild of Quinary founder Antonio Lai and award-winning bartender Samuel Kwok, The Opposites’ approach has always been to yolk Lai’s molecular mixology and Kwok’s contemporary precision together to reinterpret classics in a new way. Expanding on the original concept, The Opposites recently added six cocktails to its menu, focusing on two visions of three classics – the paloma, the espresso martini and the sidecar.
To take the enduringly popular espresso martini as an example, The Opposites’ Caffeini combines longan-infused vodka with Ethiopian washed coffee before adding Lady Grey-infused amaro, chrysanthemum and honey. On the other hand, the Wakey Wakey adds the texture of beer to the mix: vodka is washed in coconut oil before blending with nitro brewed Brazil natural coffee, black cardamom, fino sherry and hazelnut, all siphoned into a beer glass and garnished with tonka beans.
Where: LG/F, Hilltop Plaza, 49 Hollywood Road, Central
When: 5pm-2am