The Hong Kong Observatory raised the first hot weather warning of the year last week. Extreme weather is back to test the human spirit, and we’re pushing back with… fruit-flavored cocktails and tiki terraces.
World Cocktail Day is coming up soon (May 13), followed by the Hong Kong Rum Festival (June 2-3), so we guess ’tis the season to imbibe.
Let’s start with Tiki: Tiki bars have been a staple of America’s bar scene since the 1920s, ever since the tiki bar’s founding father “Don The Beachcomber” set out to create a bar that served rum cocktails that could make the average American feel like they were in the Caribbean or the South Pacific.
Coconuts HK recently sampled some of the signature drinks at Honi Honi Tiki Cocktail Lounge. The place has an armory of 250 rums from around the world and claims to be one of the few bars in the city that injects the freshest of fruits straight into its cocktails.
The first cocktail we tried was the Curse of the Monkey (HK$135), made using 1800 coconut tequila, pineapple juice, coconut water, strawberry pureé, jasmine syrup and strawberry liqueur. A refreshing and very coconut-y drink served in a monkey-shaped ceramic cup — great for those sweltering Hong Kong summer nights.
We also got to sample the very boozy Zombie (HK$160) — an original tiki cocktail — the recipe of which the Honi Honi team says it traced back and based as closely as possible to the original version dreamed up by Don The Beachcomber in 1934.
Made using three kinds of rum, falernum liqueur, orgeat syrup, grenadine, lime juice, pineapple juice, angostura bitters, and a dash of absinthe, the Zombie here is excellent, but not one for the lightweights among us.
The best of them all (for tonight, anyway): the sweet and refreshing Tropical Storm (HK$150), made with Grey Goose vodka, elderflower syrup, guava nectar, passion fruit purée & strawberry purée.
As far as cocktails go, the drinks are a bit on the pricey side. But, the space is cozy and endearing in that less than subtle “THIS IS A TIKI LOUNGE!” way, and the bartenders here really know their rum (and are down to unleash their knowledge on the subject).
Address: 3/F Somptueux Central, 52 Wellington Street, Central
Reservations: +852 2353 0885
Opening times: Monday, 4pm-1am; Tuesday to Saturday, 4pm-2am; Sunday, 4pm-12am
Email: info@honihonibar.com
More details: Facebook page, Website
