As the fifth wave recedes from memory, with lockdowns and bar shutdowns, virtual parties and zoom celebrations duly shelved, there arises the need for hosting epic soirees with friends. It’s summer and – hey – it’s party time! Time to take back at our social life, with cookouts and boozy brunches again becoming a Sunday reality. It’s also the perfect opportunity for a refresher course to channel our inner mixologist – adding some panache to the clink of glasses and cheers.   

While a chilled beer oozes great summer vibes and a refreshing rosé evokes the beach and Beyoncé chic, nothing shouts summer like a flavourful vodka cocktail. The clear spirit often cops flak for being ‘basic’ but its clear and neutral profile is ideal for building up a versatile drink.

Off course you can whip up a watermelon keg, or a Long Island ice tea if you’re feeling old school and stuck in a cocktail rut. But the warm-weather possibilities for vodka-infused drinks are endless, as bartenders across Hong Kong share their cocktail secrets with the versatile spirit. We’ve lined up some toast-worthy preparations from the top bars in the city. Happy imbibing, folks. 

Cocktail 1: Cry Baby

If you haven’t had a chance to visit this eclectic open-terrace bar – dubbed Terrible Baby – in the heart of Jordan, you’re missing out on a selection of the best cocktails the city has to offer. According to resident Mixologist Alex Gonzalez, “Vodka is incredibly popular in Hong Kong, the people here love their Moscow mules and lime sodas and why not, vodka-based drinks are spectacular in our hot and humid clime.” 

Ingredients
– 45 ml vodka 
– 30 ml fresh lime juice and 30 ml pineapple juice 
– 15 ml sugar syrup (equal parts of sugar and water) 
– 6 lime leaves 
– Ginger beer 

Method
Shake the vodka, juices and syrup with lime leaves, double strain and top up with ginger beer. Shaking the cocktail will bring out the aromatics and you’ll have an incredibly light, tropical, gingery, and citrusy cocktail. Sip, sip, hurray!

Cocktail 2: Comfortably Numb

For something decidedly stronger, the mixologists at Hutong have created this Sichuan pepper-inspired tipple. One for all the Pink Floyd fans, Comfortably Numb is presumably named after one of their most famous songs. It offers a brain-chilling, near numbing, buzzing sensation you really must experience. Take one sip of this tingling, sensational drink and you’ll be ready to order in bulk. 

Ingredients
– 50ml vanilla pod infused Ketel One Vodka 
– 25ml lychee liqueur 
– 20ml Sichuan pepper honey
– 10ml lime juice 

 Method
Fill all the ingredients in a shaker, mix and double strain into cocktail glasses coated with dried Sichuan peppers, garnish with red chili. Enjoy this sizzling, truly celebratory drink. 

 

Also Read: Rum-surgence- From sailors’ grog to premium spirit

Cocktail 3: Stay Calm

Whimsical, stunning and straight out of a story book, the Iron Fairies establishment in Central is no stranger to creative cocktails. “The lighter, elegant texture and neutral nature of vodka elevates other flavours, especially fresh fruit, and packs quite a punch,” says the jazz bar’s seasoned mixologist, Tom Egerton. Stay Calm is a magical, magical cocktail and Egerton’s ode to the whiff of summer. He uses the excellent wheat-based French vodka, Tried & True, the zero additives ecoSpirits format spirit for this artisanal drink. 

Ingredients
– 35ml Tried & True Vodka
– 5ml chamomile liqueur 
– 60ml watermelon juice
– Dash of firewater tincture, pinch of salt

Method
Pour all the ingredients and give them a good shake. Then pour over a short tumbler and garnish with fresh herbs – mint, basil, thyme – which will create a beautiful aroma reminiscent of balmy summer evenings. Enjoy.

Cocktail 4: Sharbat

Inspired by Middle-eastern sensibilities, Zzura turns from speakeasy bar to buzzing new hotspot. Reaching its second birthday this year, the bar has revamped their menu offering a new series of deliciously creative new tipples that evoke the classy blend of Moroccan and Mediterranean flavours.

The Sharbat, in particular – a Persian word that refers to a sweet drink that typically contains fruits or other flavours added to sugar and wat – is a smooth and technical cocktail that will put your mixing skills to the test. Firstly by creating the main ingredient – an infused vodka – as was done in-house by award-winning bartender and founder of Zzura and Tell Camilla, Gagan Gurung.

Ingredients
Rooibos-infused Vodka:
– An infusion of Citrus vodka with Rooibos tea
– 500gm vodka
– 10gm Rooibos tea for all night in fridge

Pomegranate Tea:
– Pomegranate Shrub
– 200gml Pomegranate juice
– 100gm apple cider vinegar
– 100gm sugar

Sharbat:
– Rooibos citrus Vodka-50ml
– Pomegrante shrub-25ml
– Ruby port-10ml
– Rooibos tea syrup-20ml
– Lemon juice-25ml

Method
For the infused vodka, incorporate Citrus vodka with Rooibos tea and leave in the fridge to infuse overnight. Then, for the tea, cook the tea leaves until simmering, then strain the tea to cool. Finally, Put everything in a shaker and double strain into a Martini glass.

 

(Text: Nikita Mishra & Roberliza Eugenio, Photos: Terrible Baby Bar, Hutong, Iron Fairies, Zzura)

 

Also Read: How canned cocktails dominated the bar scene