Latest news with #AntonioLai
Time Out
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Cool down with an igloo bar, ice-themed market, and frozen treats in Repulse Bay
As Olaf in Disney's Frozen famously said, 'The hot and the cold are both so intense, put 'em together it just makes sense!' That's exactly what The Pulse has done this summer, launching an icy wonderland named Endless Summer: The Great Icecapade for Hongkongers to cool off amidst the intense heat. Step off the burning sand of Repulse Bay Beach and into the air-conditioned comfort of The Pulse shopping mall to find a bar made to look like it's encased in ice blocks, a 'frosted tree' pumping out bubbles filled with cool smoke, and interactive photo spots like an adorable polar bear installation. Check out the Ice Bites Market every Friday to Sunday, where well-known brands such as Perfume Trees Gin, Shari Shari Kakigori House, Cheesy the Goat, and The Captain's will be around to present alcoholic beverages, shaved ice desserts, online viral cheesecakes, ice cream cups, and Hong Kong-style snacks like double-layered milk custard egg waffles. A highlight of the festivities will be their two-night-only drinks event, hosted by none other than the founders of The Opposites, Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok. Their bar has been ranked in the Asia's 50 Best Bars' extended list this year, so you know you're in good hands with these mixologists shaking up a range of cooling cocktails. Catch Kwok on July 19, and Lai on August 2, from 4pm to 8pm. Finally, stick around till nightfall to join in the party, where Cantopop remix master Beat Friday and electro music collective Truffleent's founder Fatty Cool will be spinning beats live on July 27. The ice celebration culminates in a Soho Beach House party, organised by Soho House, turning The Pulse's rooftop garden into a club, barbecue, and workshop all rolled into one – and with a gorgeous 180-degree sea view, no less! The Endless Summer activities will run on weekends from July 19 to August 24, with events spread across the calendar, so check out their website for the full schedule.
Time Out
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
3 Hong Kong bars named in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 51-100 list
Calling all imbibers, Asia's 50 Best Bars has released its 51 to 100 list, which represents bars from 23 different Asian destinations, with 14 drinking dens from across the region making their first appearance on the list. This year, Singapore claimed six bars in the ranking, then cities such as Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo, each having four spots, followed by Bangkok and Hanoi claiming three positions on the list. Happily, Hong Kong also clinched three spots on the prestigious 51-100 list. Local bartending legend Antonio Lai and partner Samuel Kwok's joint venture, The Opposites, made its debut in the annual rankings at number 80. Alcohol-free and seasonally driven drinking hole, Mostly Harmless, ranked at number 86, followed by Quinary, Lai's long-standing molecular mixology-focused venue, landing at number 91. The ranking is decided by Asia's 50 Best Bars' academy, made up of over 300 industry professionals, bartenders, drink writers, and cocktail lovers who cast anonymous votes towards their best bar experiences. This year, the 10th edition of the annual awards ceremony will take place for the first time in Macau at Wynn Palace on July 15. If you want to catch the countdown as it happens, The World's 50 Best Bars will be live-streaming the ceremony on its Facebook page and YouTube channel. Find the full list of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 51-100 Obsidian Bar, Shenzhen Pine & Co, Seoul Side Door, Singapore Soko, Seoul Bar Outrigger, Goa Sago House, Singapore Lab, Taipei Craftroom, Osaka The Han-Jia, Tainan Origin Bar, Singapore Stir, Ho Chi Minh City Sidecar, New Delhi Gong Gan, Seoul Backdoor Bodega, Penang Sora, Phnom Penh Wu (Nothingness), Taipei Gold Bar, Tokyo Pantja, Jakarta The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai Tokyo Confidential, Tokyo Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, Bangkok Bar Mood, Taipei Under Lab, Taipei Epic, Shanghai Maltail, Kaohsiung Bee's Knees, Kyoto Night Hawk, Singapore The Curator, Manila The Bellwood, Tokyo The Opposites, Hong Kong Sober Company, Shanghai Firefly, Bangkok Workshop14, Hanoi Raa, Hiriketiya Coa (Shanghai), Shanghai The Hudson Rooms, Hanoi The Haflington, Hanoi Mostly Harmless, Hong Kong Employees Only, Singapore Messenger Service, Bangkok Quinary, Hong Kong Coley, Kuala Lumpur The Enigma Mansion, Ho Chi Minh City Hideaway, Goa Fura, Singapore Charles H, Seoul Pony Up, Shanghai The Golden Tooth, Jakarta The SG Club, Tokyo Bar Nayuta, Osaka
South China Morning Post
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Drink in Focus: Earl Grey Caviar Martini at Quinary
Over the last several months, visitors to Quinary may have noticed that the bar's threshold now reads, 'The origin of Earl Grey Caviar Martini.' Pundits and professionals alike in Hong Kong can trace much of the city's modern and diverse bar scene to the cocktail, which according to co-owner and executive mixologist Antonio Lai, has been on the menu since day one. The Quinary bar threshold in 2025. Photo: Handout 'When we first opened Quinary, our mission was to introduce what we term Multisensory Mixology – a concept that was uncommon in Hong Kong at the time,' he says. 'We anticipated it would be well received upon launch, but the fact that it remains a Quinary staple today? Not quite to that extent!' In practice, Lai refers to the now-ubiquitous use of laboratory equipment in modern kitchens, in turn used to craft cutting-edge cocktails – molecular mixology, as it were. Advertisement Most are familiar with the cocktail's maximalist silhouette – a wide martini glass 'garnished' with Earl Grey reverse-spherified 'caviar' and a towering column of foam. Lai designed the drink specifically for its combination of spectacle, and the playful surprise of biting into the caviar – all focused on delicate and aromatic Earl Grey tea. 'When you experience all these elements together, they create a richly layered mouthfeel that makes you fall in love.' The Earl Grey Martini cocktail at Quinary. Photo: Handout What is perhaps more underrated about the drink is also how prescient it was of certain elements of Hong Kong mixology that are ubiquitous today – the use of advanced kitchen equipment and techniques, relatively intensive batchwork and preparation, a focus on light and refreshing flavours, and the then-rising importance of visual appeal for social media. All of this, meanwhile, centred around a good cocktail. 'When people visit a cocktail bar, they often hold a checklist in their mind,' Lai reasons, 'a drink that's unique, delicious, Instagram-worthy, and fun. And I guess our Earl Grey Caviar Martini just ticks all the boxes.' Antonio Lai, Quinary's co-owner and executive mixologist. Photo: Handout 'The classic martini is a relatively strong cocktail, and I wanted to make it more approachable,' Lai explains. 'One way to achieve this is by adding some citrusy and fruity notes to temper the alcohol taste. I've experimented with multiple combinations, and it occurred to me that Earl Grey tea itself possesses pungent scents of lemon and bergamot.' Advertisement The drink is batched daily to maintain freshness, and in three parts. The core cocktail comprises vodka, Cointreau, elderflower syrup, lemon and apple juices, and cucumber. The caviar is built separately in a bath of dissolved algin powder, whilst lecite powder is heavily used in preparing the Earl Grey foam base before it is whipped up during service.
