With new bars popping up every other week, we are looking to the city’s most sustainable places to drink, talk and be merry
Hong Kong has long been a city of contrasts: where centuries-old traditions meet futuristic ambition and historic neighbourhoods sit alongside glass skyscrapers. Today, the bar scene mirrors that spirit of innovation, taking a new direction as bartenders look beyond the glass to explore conscious practices that are becoming a new marker of luxury behind the bar.
During my time working in Hong Kong and through collaborations across the hospitality industry, including sustainability-focused initiatives such as Pernod Ricard’s Bar World of Tomorrow, I have watched this evolution unfold. From circular systems to cultural preservation, these five venues are shaking up tradition and changing the way Hong Kong drinks.
Penicillin: where circular creativity begins behind the bar
Founded by award-winning bartenders Agung and Laura Prabowo, Penicillin on Hollywood Road has earned a place among Asia’s 50 Best Bars while pioneering a closed-loop approach. Beneath the bustle of Central, the bar was built on one idea: that waste can become the starting point for creativity. Set underground, the intimate space blends a minimalist laboratory aesthetic with industrial, nature-inspired details.
“We’re not trying to make sustainable cocktails that feel like a compromise,” says Nans Petit, Sustainability Director for the Penicillin Group. “We want people to enjoy the drink first and then discover the story behind it.”
Behind the scenes, ingredients move through a circular system connecting the kitchen, laboratory, fermentation room and bar. Fruit peels, herbs and kitchen offcuts are fermented, redistilled or transformed before returning to the glass, while the bar’s own waste is continually fed back into the process.
Beyond the menu, Penicillin donates 1% of every bill through Zero Foodprint Asia to support regenerative farms across Hong Kong, helping restore soil health and biodiversity. Guests are invited into the story, with bartenders explaining how ingredients have been rescued, fermented or reimagined.
For Petit, thoughtful luxury is about presence: “One of the biggest luxuries you can have in Hong Kong is taking the time to relax and enjoy a drink.”
Tell Camellia: where tea traditions meet modern mixology
Tucked away in Central’s Pottinger Street, Tell Camellia is an intimate tea-inspired cocktail bar defined by warm timber interiors, botanical touches and a relaxed neighbourhood atmosphere. Founded by award-winning mixologist Gagan Gurung, the bar blends centuries-old tea traditions with local producers, responsibly sourced ingredients and low-waste practices.
“As a Nepalese, we drink tea from a very young age,” Gurung says. “It’s something that represents our culture and I wanted to share that story.”
The team works with local herbs, spices, Hong Kong honey and locally distilled spirits, championing the city’s producers finding new purpose for surplus ingredients. One signature cocktail, Tea’s Knees, pairs local gin with Hong Kong honey and fresh lemon, with leftover peel transformed into a fragrant garnish. Another, South of Jazz, infuses jasmine with duck fat – a playful nod to Hong Kong’s beloved roast duck.
“Our idea isn’t just to build a business,” says Gurung. “It’s to create a neighbourhood bar where people feel comfortable to gather.” Here, luxury is found in hospitality and heritage as much as the drink itself.
COA: where Mexico’s agave traditions meet Hong Kong
Founded by Jay Khan, the intimate COA bar has topped Asia’s 50 Best Bars and built an international reputation for showcasing the depth and diversity of Mexican agave spirits. Khan has travelled across Mexico, visiting distilleries and building relationships with producers whose stories are shared alongside the drinks. With a lively, vibrant energy, COA’s rustic interior captures the spirit of Mexico’s taverns in the heart of Hong Kong.
That respect for provenance carries through to the menu. The bar’s Mezcal Mission tastings support charitable causes, while collaborations such as a grapefruit exchange with neighbouring café Double Shot give surplus ingredients a second life. Cocktails also embrace low-waste techniques, from house-fermented tepache to a pistachio horchata finished with repurposed pistachio fibre. At COA, every drink connects Hong Kong with the traditions behind agave spirits.
DarkSide: where Hong Kong heritage becomes the new luxury
Inside Rosewood Hong Kong hotel, DarkSide explores conscious hospitality through the lens of the city’s heritage. Inspired by Kowloon’s nickname “the dark side”, starting in the 1970s and 80s, the bar evokes an intimate, mysterious atmosphere, where live jazz, rare spirits and classic cocktails are celebrated. Led by Bar Manager Marco Maiorano, the Echoes menu explores Hong Kong through nine cocktails inspired by its flavours and traditions.
“Luxury in Hong Kong is not only about premium ingredients or expensive glassware,” says Maiorano. “It’s about culture and connection.”
Chic & Candied transforms one pomelo into three elements: the juice provides acidity, the zest is infused into vermouth and the rind becomes a candied garnish. Another cocktail, Just 3 Minutes, repurposes broken Rosewood Hong Kong chinaware into a ceramic vessel for the drink, turning waste into part of the experience.
DarkSide’s commitment extends into collaborations with Hong Kong makers and independent producers, while the menu highlights local ingredients and forgotten flavours through modern cocktails. Inspired by a regular guest’s homemade pineapple buns from her Sheung Wan bakery, Cha Cha Bun reflects the relationships behind the menu. “This is exactly what we want,” says Maiorano. “Support that goes beyond purchasing ingredients. We build relationships with the people behind food and culture.”
“Nothing feels more luxurious than human connection,” says Maiorano. “We want guests to feel like they belong here, like part of our wider family.”
Socio Hong Kong: where the neighbourhood becomes the ingredient
In Central, Socio Hong Kong has built its identity around a simple idea: the best cocktails start with community. The team collaborates with 16 neighbouring cafés, restaurants and small businesses, transforming surplus ingredients into inventive drinks while strengthening relationships across the neighbourhood. Relaxed yet vibrant, Socio’s cosy space brings a neighbourhood feel to Central, inviting connection.
“We focus on the community aspect,” says Amir Javaid, Bar Manager of Socio Hong Kong. “How can we build more of a community around us, upcycle ingredients and create something more collaborative and sustainable?”
That philosophy comes to life across the menu. Leftover doughnuts from nearby Dough Bros become a raspberry cocktail with custard and a subtle pastry finish, while tea from Tell Camellia is transformed into White Tea, topped with a Hong Kong milk tea foam. Surplus milk from local coffee shops is cultured into yoghurt for a yoghurt-infused gin cocktail, while leftover French fries are distilled into a savoury chilli martini.
“Transparency is really important,” Javaid says. “We want guests to know where the ingredients come from, how much we upcycle and how we use them.”
Writer Nefelie Kalavrezou is the founder of Eco Travel Inspo.
