The Bar Awards Hong Kong and Macau announces its winners during a glitzy awards bash at Zuma Hong Kong. By Holly Graham.
Hong Kong and Macau’s latest hospitality heroes and best bars have just been announced this evening at Zuma Hong Kong, with big wins going to Employees Only, Coa and Quinary – claiming two awards each.
The Sunday night party celebrated the best of Hong Kong and Macau’s bar talents and venues, giving them all-important recognition from their peers in the city. Aili Nguyen of Employees Only scooped The Rising Star award, and the bar was also awarded Best Hospitality Team. Coa’s Jay Khan took the coveted Bartender of the Year gong and his Oaxaca inspired cocktail bar was also awarded Best Specialist Concept. Antonio Lai’s Quinary took home the prize for Most Creative Cocktail Program as well as the big award of the night – Bar of the Year Hong Kong.
Despite both being opened for less than a year, Please Don’t Tell at the Mandarin Oriental Landmark won Best Hotel Bar and The Old Man was awarded Best New Bar. The Hong Kong awards were a great reflection of the city’s stalwarts as well as new kids on the block. Sister SAR Macau’s winners were Nikita Matveev of Vida Rica, Mandarin Oriental, who won Bartender of the Year, Macau and the The Ritz-Carlton Bar & Lounge which won Bar of the Year, Macau.
The awards process went through many stages, starting with The Lead Panel of local industry experts deciding 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 below, listed below:
The Rising Star, presented by Perrier
(For bartenders born on or after January 1, 1993)
Aili Nguyen – Employees Only
Best Restaurant Bar, presented by Mancino Vermouth
Zuma
Best Beer Bar, presented by Peroni
Second Draft
Best Hotel Bar, presented by Ketel One
Please Don’t Tell (Mandarin Oriental, Landmark)
Best Bar Operations, presented by Tequila Avion
Stockton
Best Specialist Concept, presented by Giffard
Coa – Oaxaca Inspired Cocktail Bar
Best Hospitality Ambassador, presented by Fever-Tree
John Nugent – Lily & Bloom
Best Hospitality Team, presented by Hendrick’s Gin
Employees Only
Most Creative Cocktail Program, presented by Cointreau
Quinary
Best New Bar, presented by Campari
The Old Man
Bartender of the Year, Macau presented by Hendrick’s Gin
Nikita Matveev (Vida Rica, Mandarin Oriental)
Bartender of the Year – Hong Kong, presented by Johnnie Walker
Jay Khan – COA
Bar of the Year, Macau presented by GH Mumm Champagne
The Ritz-Carlton Bar & Lounge
Bar of the Year – Hong Kong, presented by Mekhong, the Spirit of Thailand
Quinary
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DRiNK Magazine is the official publication partner for The Bar Awards 2018.
