Drinks in Focus: Soya Sour and Scoop Me Up at The Opposites

South China Morning Post

11-02-2025

Published: 6:15pm, 11 Feb 2025 Since their soft opening in July last year, The Opposites has offered an elegant solution to Hong Kong's mixology scene 'problem' of being spoiled for choice. In a city rife with twists on a familiar cocktails, co-founders Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok offer you and your companion not one, but two different, equally polished approaches to timeless classics. Interior of The Opposites on Hollywood Road, Hong Kong. Photo: Handout
Take, for instance, their take on the Pisco Sour. 'The Pisco Sour is a classic cocktail crafted from simple ingredients,' says Kwok. 'Pisco [a Peruvian distilled grape liquor], lime juice, egg white and Angostura bitters, instantly recognisable by its signature cap of egg white foam. It's one of the most well-known classics, famed for its fresh and citrusy character. In both of our interpretations, you'll notice the use of citrus fruits, finished with a foamy top.' Soya Sour, co-founder Samuel Kwok's take on the Pisco Sour. Photo: Handout
Kwok and Lai seem equally inspired by the foam, but they've darted in separate directions. Kwok's Soya Sour texturally reimagines the foam using tofu and ginger. Meanwhile, Lai's Scoop Me Up visually reconstructs the foam, topping off an ice cream cone-shaped glass from 100% Chef with a flavoured smoke bubble. The Opposites co-founder Samuel Kwok. Photo: Handout 'I once visited a hotpot restaurant that served the slushy shot of traditional bean curd sweet soup as dessert ,' Kwok remembers. 'That unique experience stayed with me. When I was trying to reimagine the egg white foam … I noticed many guests love the texture but not the taste.' Unsweetened soy milk and fresh ginger juice are combined, siphoned then charged with nitrous oxide to create froth. The drink is shaken with ginkgo syrup, pisco and passion fruit juice. It's then served with the foam and a matcha powder rim, which adds a nutty element to the drink. The Opposites co-founder Antonio Lai, making the pineapple-flavoured bubble for the Scoop Me Up. Photo: Handout
'Thinking about foam brings a rush of happy associations,' Lai says. 'Bubble guns and childhood memories. It also brings to mind ice cream, a simple treat that never failed to cheer me up as a child.' Lai's version is finished with a bubble of pineapple-flavoured smoke paired with a lighter white tea and guava purée-based foam, also siphoned and charged with nitrous oxide. The base of the drink includes camellia tea and centrifuged home-brew pink guava cordial – all shaken with the classic ingredients. Scoop Me Up, co-founder Antonio Lai's take on the Pisco Sour. Photo: Handout
Whether you prefer Lai's refreshing tea-based take or Kwok's locally inspired velvety interpretation, guests seem to agree on the visual and textural appeal of the foam in both drinks. 'The response to our twists on the Pisco Sour foam has been overwhelmingly positive,' Lai says. 'In fact, some guests have said the foam is so delicious they could enjoy it as a stand-alone drink or dessert. We've also had many guests who asked us to create the smoke bubble multiple times just to get the perfect picture of it popping.'
If you find yourself arguing with your partner over the ideal interpretation of a classic, you could visit The Opposites to see Lai and Kwok's versions head-on. Of course, healthy competition aside, their interpretations also work in sync to highlight the traditional cocktail's underlying merits. Anatomy of a cocktail
Name: Soya Sour