The Bar Awards HK narrows down the field to its Top 4 finalists, with winners announced this Sunday. By Holly Graham.
The Bar Awards has narrowed down this year’s finalists to the Top 4, ahead of the glitzy awards bash at Zuma Hong Kong this Sunday May 20.
The Bar Awards recognises top bars and hospitality advocates in Hong Kong and Macau and to get to this point, The Lead Panel of local industry experts decided on 14 categories covering drink and dining experiences as well as the the city’s best bartending talent.
These categories then went to public nominations, followed by the public nominees being passed to The Panel, a group of 49 industry members selected by The Lead Panel, to decide the Top 10s followed by the Top 4s, and finally the big winners on the night, along with two Macau categories (Bartender of the Year, Macau presented by Hendrick’s Gin and Bar of the Year, Macau presented by GH Mumm Champagne).
Before the the big awards at Zuma Hong Kong this Sunday, the city’s bars will host a week of guest shifts and parties, including bar shifts from Asia’s best bar Manhattan (Bar of the Year Singapore 2017 and Asia’s Best Bar for two years running) and an opening party featuring guest bartenders from all over the region. For more details on the shifts and parties, click here.
Presented in alphabetical order, here are this year’s The Bar Awards Hong Kong Top 4s across the 14 categories:
The Rising Star, presented by Perrier
(For bartenders born on or after January 1, 1993)
Aili Nguyen – Employees Only
Bikas Somai – Foxglove
Kshitiz Gurung – Stockton
Rana Chandan – Coa
Best Restaurant Bar, presented by Mancino Vermouth
8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Lily & Bloom
VEA
Zuma
Best Beer Bar, presented by Peroni
Alvy’s
Second Draft
TAP – The Ale Project
The Globe
Best Hotel Bar, presented by Ketel One
Bar Q88 (JW Marriott)
Lobster Bar & Grill (Island Shangri-La)
Please Don’t Tell (Mandarin Oriental, Landmark)
The Envoy (The Pottinger)
Best Bar Operations, presented by Tequila Avion
Employees Only
Lily & Bloom
Quinary
Stockton
Best Specialist Concept, presented by Giffard
Coa – Oaxaca Inspired Cocktail Bar
Dr. Fern’s Gin Parlour – Gin Bar
La Cabane (Bistro, 62 Hollywood Road) – Natural Wine Bar
Sake Central – Sake Bar
Best Hospitality Ambassador, presented by Fever-Tree
Ajit Gurung – Stockton
Devender Kumar – 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Jay Khan – Coa
John Nugent – Lily & Bloom
Best Hospitality Team, presented by Hendrick’s Gin
Employees Only
Stockton
The Old Man
Yardbird
Most Creative Cocktail Program, presented by Cointreau
J. Boroski
Quinary
The Old Man
The Woods
Best New Bar, presented by Campari
Blue Supreme
Coa
Please Don’t Tell (Mandarin Oriental, Landmark)
The Old Man
Bartender of the Year, Macau presented by Hendrick’s Gin
Bruno Santos (Antica Trattoria)
Koco Widyatno (The Ritz-Carlton Bar & Lounge)
Maxim Schulte (The Ritz-Carlton Bar & Lounge)
Nikita Matveev (Vida Rica, Mandarin Oriental)
Bartender of the Year – Hong Kong, presented by Johnnie Walker
Agung Prabowo – The Old Man
Devender Kumar – 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Jay Khan – COA
John Nugent – Lily & Bloom
Bar of the Year, Macau presented by GH Mumm Champagne
Old Taipa Tavern
SW Steakhouse (Wynn Palace)
The Ritz-Carlton Bar & Lounge
Vida Rica (Mandarin Oriental)
Bar of the Year – Hong Kong, presented by Mekhong, the Spirit of Thailand
Employees Only
Quinary
Stockton
The Old Man
To learn more about The Bar Awards, see our hub page here, or their Facebook page here.
DRiNK Magazine is the official publication partner for The Bar Awards 2018.