bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Lisa Cam

Sacrifices have to be made to curb infection rates of the coronavirus – and one of them has been limiting those social activities like happy hour, while bar hopping seems like a distant memory. But if you’re down to socialising with a few friends at home or have started Zooming friends and family with a drink in hand, here are nine simple cocktail recipes, courtesy of Hong Kong’s best bartenders, that you can easily make at home.
Why low-calorie cocktails are catching on in Hong Kong
Bee’s Knees
Simone Rossi, assistant beverage manager, DarkSide at Rosewood Hong Kong
“This is timeless classic cocktail perfect to enjoy at any time of the day – even for breakfast!”

Ingredients
Gin (50ml)
Honey (two teaspoons)
Lemon juice (25ml)
Method
1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker, stir the liquid until it dissolves before shaking. Ensure you mix the honey well as it has a heavy texture
2. Shake the drink then double strain into a glass without ice
3. If you feel like having a fancy garnish, use bee pollen powder to stick on the glass, otherwise don’t add any garnish and enjoy the drink as it is
Plum old fashioned
Antonio Lai, executive head mixologist / co-founder of Quinary

Ingredients
Plum wine (10ml)
Bitters (five to 10 drops)
Hennessy VSOP (60ml)
Method
1. Put all the ingredients into a mixing glass (use a cup or glass if you are at home)
2. Use a bar spoon or chopsticks to stir for 20 to 30 seconds, then strain into a rock glass with a lot of ice
3. Garnish with the plum from the plum wine
Whisky Debates: which is the best Japanese blend?
Gin and juice
Agung Prabowo of the The Old Man

Ingredients
Dry gin (45ml)
Fresh grapefruit juice, one tablespoon
Sugar, one teaspoon
Soda water (90ml)
Add: small pinch of salt
Garnish: grapefruit peel
In a highball glass, pour the gin, grapefruit and sugar, stir until the sugar dissolves. Add ice, soda, gently stir and add garnish and a pinch of salt
Sake Bloody Mary
Mike Tung, partner at Sakeden
“Sake, like the best of wines, can be very complex and enjoyable on its own. It’s floral, fruity, umami and just downright delicious. While it's great on its own, you can use it to personalise your cocktails.”

Ingredients
Sake (40ml)
Spicy tomato juice (180ml)
Wasabi (½ teaspoon)
Worcestershire sauce (two dashes)
Method
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail mixer full of ice. Shake vigorously and strain into the glass
Zen
Masumi Tomioka, bar manager at Duddell’s
“Since I always think about adding nutritional value to everything I consume, this cocktail is always my favourite, especially during the summer. It’s tasty, rich in aroma, spicy, refreshing and I love it. Shiso is not only a garnish for sashimi, it is an Asian superfood and it’s great to use in your cocktail at home!”

Ingredients
Japanese shiso (perilla) leaves
Shiso liqueur (I use Dover brand)
Ginger beer
Method
1. Tear about three to four shiso leaves into small pieces (as small as you can as this adds aroma and flavour), put them in a glass full of ice (crushed ice is preferable)
2. Pour in shiso liqueur
3. Top up with ginger beer and stir
4. Put some more chopped shiso or a leaf for garnish
Are mocktails the new cocktails – and can you taste the difference?
Mezcal margarita
Jay Khan, bar owner of Coa
“Simple, balanced and tasty cocktail that fits any occasion.”

Ingredients
Mezcal (50ml)
Cointreau (25ml)
Freshly pressed lime juice (25ml)
Garnish: salt (optional)
Method
Pour all the ingredient into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until the shaker is very cold. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass.
Green tea spritz
Andrew Chigorimbo, bar manager at Roganic Hong Kong
“This is a refreshing yet herbal Sunday morning mix with a kick and a hint of caffeine from green tea. Ingredients are very accessible, you can either purchase them from any supermarket or grocery store.”

Ingredients
Regular green tea (120ml)
Vodka (30ml)
Honey (15ml)
Top up with tonic water
Method
Add green tea to vodka, shake it up hard. Pour in chilled martini glass, top up with tonic. Use Chinese celery to garnish
Daiquiri
John Nugent of The Diplomat
“Whenever I think of a three-ingredient cocktail that I can have at almost any time of day it’s the Daiquiri. The ingredients are really easy to source and there is always a nice variety to choose from.”

Ingredients
Good quality aged rum, such as Plantation Original Dark or Havana Club Añejo 7 Años (60ml)
Sugar syrup: could be white, raw, Okinawa black sugar; really depends on how deep and rich you like it (20ml)
Lime juice – you can also play around with yuzu or calamansi for an interesting acid level (20ml)
Method
Add all these ingredients in a shaker tin with ice. Shake until very chilled. Pour into chilled coupe with a lime wedge
The best coronavirus memes sure to brighten up your quarantine
Calpis water
Mike Tung, partner at Sakeden
“Namazake, or fresh, unpasteurised sake, is often overlooked. It’s only available for a limited time as they are brewed fresh each season and last from autumn to the beginning of summer. It’s an incredible drink on its own, but here’s what you can do to personalise your sake serving.”

Ingredients
Calpis water (100ml)
Namazake (100ml)
Method
Combine in ingredients in shaker then pour over ice. It’s that simple!
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .

Help us understand what you are interested in so that we can improve SCMP and provide a better experience for you. We would like to invite you to take this five-minute survey on how you engage with SCMP and the news.



Having a little wine with a Mediterranean diet could be as good as statins for the heart

Your perfect week: what to do in Hong Kong, December 23-28

Drink in Focus: Festive Manhattan at DarkSide

Planning a sober Christmas? Expert tips on avoiding alcohol and still having a good time

Wine and Spirits

Plum old fashioned, sake Bloody Mary or green tea spritz? 9 sexy but simple cocktail recipes you can make at home to banish the lockdown blues

Gin and juice at The Old Man is among nine cocktails that are easy to make at home. Photo: handout

Green tea spritz from Roganic. Photo: Handout

Antonio Lai, executive bartender at Quinary. Photo: handout

John Nugent of The Diplomat. Photo: handout

Bee Knees from The Darkside. Photo: handout

Masumi Tomioka, Bar Manager of Duddell’s. Photo: handout

Jay Khan, Bar owner of COA. Photo: handout

Calpis water and namazake mixer. Photo: SCMP

A selection of Ryujin’s most famous sakes, from their 10 year-aged Aiyama vintage sake, to their Oze no Yukidoke Junmai Daiginjo. Photo: Sakeden

Whisky Debates: Water vs ice – which goes best with your dram?

Should we add ice or water to whisky? Photo: Getty Images

How gin and vodka makers are slowing the spread of coronavirus – by making their own hand sanitisers, and giving them away for free

Distilleries are making their own hand sanitisers – but they aren’t fit for drinking. Photo: @prohibitionspirits/Instagram

Carly Snyder makes hand sanitizer at the Eight Oaks Farm Distillery in New Tripoli, Pa., Monday, March 16, 2020. Chad Butters, who founded the distillery, grew increasingly angry as he saw the skyrocketing price of hand sanitizer. So he decided to do something about it: He's temporarily converting his operation into a production line for the suddenly hard-to-find, gooey, alcohol-based disinfectant. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A pedestrian wearing a protective mask walks past an LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE store in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong, China, on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. Retailers could see their profit from Hong Kong drop in 2020 amid an outbreak of the coronavirus in the city and mainland China. This will likely hurt Chinese visits to the city, particularly as its government implement new travel restrictions and close 10 of its 13 entry points. Photographer: Ivan Abreu/Bloomberg

Alcohol-free parties: are millennials and Gen X shunning alcohol for good?

Stairway to Heaven cocktail at Nolita Social at the Bulgari Hotel in London. The bar uses non-alcoholic Seedlip in some of its cocktails. Seedlip is the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirits brand.

Nolita Social | FOR STYLE USE ONLY

Byrdi pics | FOR STYLE USE ONLY

Nolita Social's Come Together | FOR STYLE USE ONLY

Floreat wine | FOR STYLE USE ONLY

Corona comedy: 20 Tiger King memes that will bring some much-needed humour to your quarantine

Joe Exotic for president, anyone? Photos: Instagram

Kavalan vs Sullivans Cove: Taiwan takes on Tasmania in the battle of the single cask – Whisky Debates column

Spanning from Taiwan to Tasmania, which single cask whisky is better – Kavalan or Sullivans Cove? Photo: Instagram

Magazines

Style

Leisure

If you’re down to socialising with a few friends at home or have started Zooming friends and family with a drink in hand, these are cocktails you can easily make from the comfort of your own homes


If you’re down to socialising with a few friends at home or have started Zooming friends and family with a drink in hand, these are cocktails you can easily make
