Drink in Focus: 1881 at DarkSide
While it is arguably Kowloon's best bar – it's even cheekily named after the peninsula's nickname – it's taken DarkSide a somewhat surprising number of years to create a menu celebrating local landmarks and icons. That's been rectified: enter the establishment's latest annual menu, Timeless Tales: Flavours of Kowloon's Legacy.
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As one has come to expect of a menu from
the Rosewood Hong Kong bar, the precision of the concept is equalled only by its execution. The drinks are delicate, clear and feel tailored to local palates, and it's very easy to enjoy several concoctions in one sitting.
Interior of DarkSide at Rosewood Hong Kong. Photo: DarkSide
On the menu, which is designed like a film clapper board, you'll find libations dedicated to the old Kai Tak airport, the old Yau Ma Tei Theatre, martial arts legend Bruce Lee and Tsim Sha Tsui's historic Former Marine Police Headquarters Compound, more commonly known as the 1881 building. The latter serves as the inspiration for the 1881 cocktail.
'The 1881 Heritage building, with its stunning Victorian architecture and rich history, stands as a testament to Hong Kong's colonial past and cultural evolution,' says Rosewood Hong Kong's recently arrived director of bars Bob Louison.
The facade of the former Marine Police Headquarters in 2006, back when the surrounding area was being excavated to build the wider 1881 Heritage site. Photo: SCMP Archives
The building is one of the four oldest government buildings still standing in the city. It is situated on what was the coastline when it was built, before decades of land reclamation took place; DarkSide sits on the current coastline. It served as the headquarters for the Marine Police from 1884 to 1996, when the force was absorbed into the Hong Kong Police Force and its headquarters transferred to Sai Wan Ho on Hong Kong Island.
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Unsurprisingly elements of the sea dominate the cocktail. 'We achieve this [flavour] using kombu, [sea] lettuce brine and salted onion cordial,' says Louison. 'A smokiness is added using mescal. It tastes savoury and finds inspiration from the salted lemon tea you find in Hong Kong; the brine really brings out not only the salty, but a lot of the sweetness as well.'
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