Celebrity Life

Imbibed amidst an immersive patchwork of sounds, scents, and flavours, the latest edition of Krug's much-loved multi-vintage Champagne strikes a chord that is as joyful as it is delicious.

I'll be the first to concede that there's nothing quite like "the intangible quality...of taking in the terroir" but insofar as virtual tastings are concerned -- essentially the status quo for drinks industry pundits in 2021 -- the recent unveiling of Krug's latest Grande Cuvée proved to be oddly visceral and thrilling (in some ways, even touching). Every year since 1843, the eponymous makers of prestige Champagne have released a new assemblage of reserve wines, always consisting of the classic Champenois trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier; and always left to age sur lie for 7 years.

Dispensing first with the formalities, the 169th Edition is a "generous expression" of 146 wines made in 11 different years (Krug bottle single vintages relatively infrequently), the oldest of which harkens back to the turn of the millennium. It is, however, the 2013 vintage that -- to butcher a musical analogy -- really sets the bassline: with intensely "luminous and pure" Chardonnays; racy Meunier; and Pinot Noir that extrudes a long, treacle finish. It is in a word, unsurprisingly, 'scrumptious': at its best harmonising alongside sharp aged cheese; aromatic seafood dishes; maybe even a cheeky slice of tarte tatin.

Unsurprisingly, the hallmarks of this Grande Cuvée (namely quality, consistency, and complexity) remain present year in, year out; but it's Krug's highly intuitive method of presentation that helps to immerse drinkers in the art of crafting prestige Champagne. With the jubilant voice of Olivier Krug pouring into their ears -- livestreaming in from the Maison's ancestral holdfast in Reims -- participants in these 'Encounters' were able to hear the story of the 169th Edition in a style that takes you beyond the spoken word. An "audio pairing" composed by Belgian musician Ozark Henry (and fed through to listeners using 8D technology) chronicles, in sonic form, the entire journey of the latest Krug edition: from plot to tasting, and finally harmonious blending together at the hands of Cellar Master Julie Cavil.

As ever, these 'Encounters' ended with a culinary presentation (in Hong Kong, presided over by Island Shangri-La's Uwe Opocensky) inspired by the tasting notes for the current edition -- langoustine and freshly jetted oysters seem to be much-favoured accompaniments this time round -- followed by a round of questions for the Maison's patriarch, Mr. Olivier Krug. On whether he was excited for a resumption of global travel -- to better present this 169th annual bottling -- he expressed optimism. Until then, you could do a lot worse than sipping to a soundtrack.

The 169th Edition of Krug Grande Cuvée is now available at various retail partners throughout Hong Kong, including Watson's, The Fine Wine Experience, CitySuper and Avize Wine Cellar. To learn more, visit Krug online.

The post The Glenrothes Serves up Curated Cocktails, Special Menus and Vintage Watches at The Murray’s Popinjays appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

With the decade coming to an end, you'll want to ring in 2020 in style. If you're still looking for places to countdown, we've got you covered and picked out some of the best New Year’s Eve parties in Hong Kong to make sure 2020 starts on a high.

Carbone

Carbone’s NYE party is for those who are looking to enjoy Motown music as well as their well-known meatballs. The Italian restaurant is offering two packages; the Classico (HK$1,988) includes food and drink as well as free-flow prosecco. For a little bit more, the Superior (HK$2,388) package includes food and drink, and free-flow Champagne. The party starts at 9PM and goes until 1:30AM.

Tickets here. 

Carbone, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central; +852 2593 2593

ALTO

Located on the 31st floor of the V Point Tower in Causeway Bay, ALTO is a great option if you’re looking for a spot with great views. Their Black & Gold New Year’s Eve Gala Fireworks Dinner is HK$788 per person and offers a four-course meal. The theme of the event is, you guessed it, black and gold. So be sure to dress for the occasion.

Tickets here. 

ALTO, 31/F, V Point, 18 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay; +852 2603 7181

Zuma

Zuma has become sort of a constitution when it comes to counting down in Hong Kong. With a masquerade theme in place, guests will be able to enjoy free-flow Veuve Clicquot Champagne, specialty cocktails, red and white wine, beer, and soft drinks. DJ Emmanuel Diaz will be playing tunes all night accompanied by live performances. 

Tickets here. 

Zuma, Level 5&6 Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2657 6388

La Rambla by Catalunya 

Walk the red-carpet at La Rambla’s NYE event. The ‘A Red Carpet Affair’ theme will have you feeling like a celebrity while you enjoy the free-flow bar and a special New Year’s Eve curated tasting menu all the while enjoying unrivalled views of the iconic Victoria Harbour. Packages start at HK$700 for general entry (includes three hours of free-flow drinks and two food tickets); $750 for a walk-in ticket; $2,020 for dinner and party package (includes tasting menu and free-flow drinks). If you’re not going out for NYE, La Rambla is also offering a New Year’s Day brunch menu (HK$650). 

Tickets here.

La Rambla by Catalunya, 3071-73 Level 3, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central; 2661 1161

Popinjays 

If you’re looking to countdown at Popinjays, you have various options to choose from. A general ticket is HK$1,488 and includes free-flow drinks (from 9:30PM to 3AM and Champagne from 11:30PM to 12:30AM), while an early bird ticket is HK$1,288. If you’re a party of four, a table package will set you back HK$7,880 and includes free-flow drinks. A New Year’s Day brunch is also on offer for HK$698 (from 12:15 pm to 2:15 pm, and 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm), so plan ahead.

Tickets here.  

Popinjays, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central; +852 3141 8888

Potato Head

Dance the night away at Potato Head. The multi-concept space will have an array of DJs and artists playing music all night long, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. For HK$600, you’ll be able to enjoy free-flow from 10PM to midnight. For HK$1,100, you’ll be able to enjoy their dinner menu and free-flow drinks.

Tickets here.

Potato Head,  100 Third Street, Sai Ying Pun; +852 2858 6066

Soho House

Soho House is hosting a 'Midnight in Monte Carlo' themed party. Wear your finest black-tie attire to ring in the new year with the grandeur of Monte Carlo. Try your hand at blackjack or roulette, or slip into the high roller’s room as you sip on Grey Goose cocktails. If you're in the gambling spirit, there will be high roller game rooms with prizes including a complimentary stay for two at Upper House Hong Kong. To cap it all off, a Möet Champagne vending machine will be available.

Soho House, 33 Des Voeux Road West, Sheung Wan; +852 5803 8888

DarkSide

Countdown to 2020 at one of Hong Kong's newest bars, DarkSide. On New Year’s Eve, guests can look forward to caviar and Krug Champagne packages, VIP table bookings and live entertainment to truly define merrymaking from 8PM until 2AM. You will also be able to enjoy jazz music with their new performer Deborah Davis. Email hongkong.darkside@rosewoodhotels.com or ring them up to secure your reservation.

DarkSide, Rosewood Hong Kong Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rord, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3891 8732

Ophelia

Escape to Le Grand Hotel Ophelia NYE 2019 party. Ophelia will be back for another immersive celebration for New Year’s Eve, bringing a fashionable ode of old vintage glamour, luxury diamonds, and pearls, Champagne and more. Expect appearances from international performers behind the doors of Le Grande Hotel Ophelia, and live music. Did we mention that entry is free? All you have to do is RSVP and adhere to their 'Vintage Glam' dress code.

Tickets here.

Ophelia, Shop F39A & F41A, 1/F, Lee Tung Avenue, 200 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai; +852 2520 1117

G.H Mumm Party

To celebrate the beginning of the new decade, G.H. Mumm has partnered with The Rooms in Tai Kwun to host their Countdown Dinner & Party. Guests are invited to enjoy a gastronomic 3-course dining experience with free-flow Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne, RSRV & Spirit at 9PM for HK$1,800. For those who would like to go straight to the countdown party, a ticket costs HK$800 and includes free-flow Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne and Spirit until midnight. For tickets, email info@therooms.hk.

The Rooms, 10 Hollywood Road, Central

The post Top 10 New Year’s Eve Parties in Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Eat, drink, be merry and let someone else do the dishes this holiday.

The post The 10 Best Christmas Dinners in Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

I have mixed drinks about feelings.

As the number of bars in Hong Kong continue to soar, so do the choice of libations; making the process of picking one’s poison somewhat arduous. Well, fret not and read on for the liquid solutions to your cocktail conundrum.

A Moveable Feast #1964 at The Old Man

The Ernest Hemmingway-inspired speakeasy (ranked number 5 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018) recently unveiled new cocktails created by top mixologist Agung Prabowo, and we already have our pre-dinner favourite. If you appreciate Bloody Marys, you’ll likely enjoy A Moveable Feast #1964 – a savoury cocktail resplendent with flavours of the sea. A rotary evaporator extracts the essence from clams, seaweed, salts and seawater, which is re-distilled with vodka to provide the base. The clear consommé-esque cocktail is then infused for 24 hours with spiced cherry tomatoes, coconut, basil-tomato seeds and oyster leaf.

The Old Man, Lower G/F, 37 Aberdeen Street, SoHo, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2703 1899

Above the Clouds at Popinjays

Perched on top of The Murray, Popinjays offers a vantage point not usually seen this side of the island, lending itself to rather impressive sundowner sessions. The rooftop venue is named after the resident cockatoos that frequent the neighbouring gardens and the avian theme runs throughout. We order Above the Clouds from The Aviary Collection, which blends Zacapa 23-years-old rum with grapefruit and cassia infused angostura bitters. Brought to the table with smoky theatrics, it adds a smouldering smoothness to the cocktail, but ends brightly with lingering notes of rich spices and fruit.

Popinjays, The Murray, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong; +852 3141 8888

Blind Tiger Gin & Tonic at Dr. Fern's Gin Parlour 

This gin gold mine, hidden in The Landmark basement, boasts Hong Kong’s largest collection of gin and continues to expand its menu still. Earlier this month, six new signature gin and tonic prescriptions were revealed and we felt compelled to go visit the doctor. Our chosen elixir: Blind Tiger Gin – a favourite of  Dr. Fern's Head Bartender Paul Chan – is handcrafted gin made in a secretive distillery in western Belgium, supplying a healthy dose of mystery to the liquor. Peppered with hints of spiciness, the cocktail is soothed by the sparkles of Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic and finished with orange peel, cinnamon and rosemary.

Dr. Fern's Gin Parlour, Shop B31A, First Basement Floor, Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2111 9449

Argila at Uma Nota

The Negroni is an inescapable item on Hong Kong bar menus and adoration for the timeless drink has created a multitude of variations. Keeping us under its intoxicating spell is the Argila (meaning clay in Portuguese) – a negroni with a Brazilian backbone that can be found at Uma Nota. The lively Brazilian Japanese restaurant adds a São Paulo style twist to the classic which also seems to give us the courage for a samba showdown. This deep, earthy-hued cocktail is full of verve and made up of Capucana, a citrusy style cachaça (sugar cane spirit), Mancino Rosso Amaranto Vermouth, Cynar and orange bitters aged in a clay pot.

Uma Nota, 38 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2889 7576

Fluffy Pineapple Martini at Room 309

Disguised as a hotel room that requires a keycard to enter, Room 309 is an invitation-only bar on the third floor of The Pottinger. Antonio Lai - award-winning mixologist of Quinary and The Envoy, among others - has concocted eight transparent cocktails for The Invisible Menu in which we have selected the Fluffy Pineapple Martini. The cocktail permeates a vibrant tang of the tropics. Thankfully, it steers clear of sticky sweetness and instead, makes use of science with re-distilled pineapple vodka, centrifuged pineapple juice and clarified lemon juice to create a translucent and refreshing cocktail – adorned with a pineapple crisp and salted egg yolk crumble.

Room 309, 3/F The Pottinger Hotel, 74 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong

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