The week in pictures: Hong Kong

One can’t talk about summer without rosé, the pink wine that has forever been linked with sun-soaked summers, beach holidays and cruise trips. Our recent Asian Rosé Masters competition has uncovered a slew of outstanding rosé that won’t break your bank from quaffable fruity samples to wines with more depth and complexity. Top medal-winning wines from our inaugural Asian Rosé Masters competition prove that a great rosé is more than a pretty pale colour, the frivolity of marketing gimmicks, and celebrity tie-ins. You can also read the full results and analysis here.

Pictured above are the judges for this year’s competition. They are (from left to right:) Kyle Oosterberg, wine director at The Flying Winemaker; YK Chow, independent wine consultant; Ivy Ng, former publisher of the drinks business Hong Kong; Corinne Mui, COO and senior wine educator at Asia Wine and Spirits Education Centre (AWSEC); Juwan Kim, head sommelier at Zuma Hong Kong; Stefano Bartolomei, manager and wine director at Arcane.

This summer, Hong Kong’s cocktail scene is getting more creative, embracing, in particular, China’s national spirit baijiu, the transparent liquor that has an average alcohol strength of around 50% abv. A few of the city’s dining venues launched summer cocktails that incorporated the spirit and China’s lesser-known fermented glutinous rice wine. Pictured above is one of the new summer cocktails debuted at Fu Rong, a Sichuanese restaurant in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui. Made using Xiao Lang Jiu, a Sichuan-based Baijiu company, this ‘Sichuan Tonic’ is a nice play of the classic Gin & Tonic. 

The classic Mojito has a bit more of a kick with the addition of higher strength baijiu in the mix. This refreshing cocktail is also found on Fu Rong’s summer cocktail list.

Wan Chai’s Bread & Beast has been transformed from an all-day sandwich eatery to a sit-down restaurant and cocktail bar during the night. Its new cocktail menu introduced Chinese spirits such as Huadiao, a type of Chinese yellow wine, baijiu and rice wine. Pictured above is the ‘Baijiu Negroni’, concocted with Campari and Rosso Vermouth, while highlighting the complexity and aromatic profile of Chinese baijiu. 

Another cocktail on the list using Chinese spirits is ‘Mama Mia’, which combines a gin base, glutinous rice wine and a triple distilled Chinese wine, with lime and watermelon. 

Eclipse Hospitality Group is rebranding their Grand Central restaurant into a new McSorley’s concept, revamping the popular Irish pub theme for the newly opened McSorley’s Brewhouse & Grill inside Elements shopping mall. The newly opened Irish restaurant and pub straddles two floors and is located on the rooftop of the shopping mall. In addition to some selection of Irish and modern cuisine, the bar offers an extensive selection of draught beers and a few local craft beers such as Young Master, Kowloon Bay Brewery, Black Kite and Moonzen.

The opening ceremony of McSorley’s Brewhouse & Grill was held on 7 August inside Elements shopping mall with the attendance of the Consul General designate of Ireland, Hong Kong and Macau, David Costello (left).