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South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Your perfect week: what to do in Hong Kong, June 15-21
Eat this Qura Bar Tagliolini topped with Prunier's Osciètre Caviar at Qura Bar in Hong Kong. Photo: Qura Bar Caviar tasting sheds its formal cloak this summer at Regent Hong Kong's Qura Bar. Against the backdrop of art deco glamour and harbour views, Prunier's sustainably sourced Osciètre Caviar is served in bar bites as part of a four-course menu until July 31, and dishes such as onsen egg with vodka sauce and tagliolini with lemon confit pair perfectly with mixologist Gennaro Pucci's inventive cocktails. Advertisement Regent Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Do this Ko Shan Fest Music producer Carl Wong. Photo: courtesy Ko Shan Fest Curated by music director Carl Wong, the festival's two concerts bring together local bands such as The Hertz, Mr, NiLiu and Instinct of Sight, alongside special collaborations with artists such as Jun Kung , at the Ko Shan Theatre on June 20 and 21. With free pre-concert talks offering insights into the city's musical journey, it's the perfect chance to connect with Hong Kong pop culture. 77 Ko Shan Rd, Hung Hom. Tickets from HK$380 from Drink this Magnolia Lab Magnolia Lab's fifth-anniversary pop-up at Tai Wo Tang. Photo: Magnolia Lab This month, contemporary Cantonese liquor brand Magnolia Lab celebrates its fifth anniversary with an apothecary-inspired pop-up bar at the Tai Wo Tang cafe in Kowloon City, itself housed in a former Chinese medicine shop. From June 18 to 21, the cafe will serve cocktails using the brand's Roselle and Magnolia liqueurs, designed by mixologist Matthew Lau Wai-yip, while DJ duo Beat Friday have arranged a nostalgic playlist of Cantonese tunes from the 1940s to the 70s. 24 Nga Tsin Long Road, Kowloon City See this Extravaganza! Kids from SDM dance school promote Hong Kong's Brazilian festival. Photo: Nora Tam
South China Morning Post
17-02-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
How this bartender is bringing traditional Chinese medicine to cocktails
Published: 6:15pm, 17 Feb 2025 New faces of heritage series: For four artists at the forefront of their craft, a deep sense of Hong Kong's past is fuelling their vision for the future. See our other feature on Kiri T Stop me if you've heard this one: a Chinese medicine doctor walks into a bar, where he spots an old acquaintance behind the counter, an investment banker-turned-bartender, and he says to the guy … Yeah, you probably haven't. But anyway, that night in 2019, at the Little Lab bar in Central, the doctor had already had a hot toddy at another spot nearby, and as his buddy was mixing him an old fashioned, he was reminded that such cocktails had doubled as health remedies for centuries. The hot toddy, featuring hot whisky, honey, lemon and spice, had been a popular recipe to treat colds in Britain for about three centuries. Bitters, like the ones being mixed for the old fashioned, on the other hand, were believed to cure upset stomachs and had been added to old fashioneds since the 1800s. A cocktail made with Magnolia Lab's product. Photo: Courtesy of Magnolia Labs As the two friends chatted, it dawned on them that cocktails and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shared certain similarities: both were often crafted from botanicals and many liqueurs were once considered to have healing properties. European staples such as Campari and Jägermeister, to name but two, started out as herbal potions to be consumed as an aperitif and digestif. Similarly, Chinese herbal wines have been brewed for hundreds of years – but unlike their Western counterparts, these were not often consumed recreationally. In that dimly lit bar, after much deliberation – and a few choice libations – Chinese medicine practitioner James Ting and bartender Dennis Mak mused over the fact that Chinese doctors have always been looking for ways to innovate TCM, to integrate the ancient practice into a modern lifestyle. So the question became: why not try bringing such traditions into Hong Kong's cocktail scene? Their answer: Magnolia Lab , which, since 2020 has been concocting the 'oriental botanical liqueur', aiming to revive familiar flavours and herbal traditions, and infuse them into modern drinking culture. 'There is an old saying,' says Mak, 'that alcohol is the elder of a hundred medicines, meaning alcohol is always a very important element in Chinese medicine.'
South China Morning Post
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
This week in PostMag: Cantopop, neon art and other revived heritage
Published: 12:45pm, 15 Feb 2025 Let's jump into it. Maybe it's actually a sugar rush from all the tong yuen for the official end of Lunar New Year this week, but there's an energy in this week's issue that I find irresistible. Young people putting their own stamp on cultural heritage. Unlike history, which, though we might apply different lenses to it, are events firmly in the past, heritage is made up of traditions and traditions are shaped by humans – humans who are ever changing and ever evolving. We first discussed the idea for this issue in one of our editorial meetings months ago, excited by some of these humans – young talent not only preserving, but transforming Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage. We have rising Cantopop star Kiri T sitting down with Vanessa Lee to talk about how the genre and the culture surrounding it are becoming more free. Mitche Choi, who grew up performing Cantonese opera, reveals to Kate Whitehead the big plans she has for her own troupe – technology, new scripts and more – to keep the art form relevant for modern audiences. Food and drink are natural conduits for evolving cultural traditions. Maggie Hiufu Wong profiles Dennis Mak, who co-founded spirits brand Magnolia Lab to bring Cantonese herbal liqueur, and its medicinal taste, into modern mixology. Finally, Gavin Yeung discovers the work of Jive Lau, a graphic-designer-turned-neon artist who is walking the line between art and commerce in the iconic, but fast-disappearing Hong Kong tradition. Curious to see for yourself? Lau's work is currently featured in an exhibition hosted by non-profit foundation Crafts on Peel in Central, where Peta Tomlinson also finds a new crop of artisans reimagining the possibilities of rattan.
