Kinsman
Tucked away on the top of Peel Street is Kinsman, a Cantonese cocktail bar inspired by Wong Kar Wai’s In The Mood for Love. The bar is a love letter and a nod to the old Hong Kong from Gavin Yeung, an ex-editor of Tatler Dining Hong Kong. Yeung fell in love with mixology as he told the stories of many bartenders during his stint as one of the most recognised food writers in the city. After learning Cantonese spirits are often overlooked, he started digging into a rabbit hole of learning more about the history and how he could bring the traditional spirits to the public. This was how Kinsman was born, with his thirst for storytelling and hosting many of his friends’ over for homemade cocktails as guinea pigs (including yours truly since we worked together, full disclosure), and his cameos at various guest shifts in Hong Kong.
While you might think Chinese inspired bars equals to cocktails infused with tea, Kinsman goes beyond than that. Yeung puts the spotlights on local spirits that are long forgotten, traditionally distilled in Canton, otherwise known as the modern Guandong province in China.
Two of their best-selling cocktails include the Kowloon Dairy and Milk & Honey, who’ve both been on the menu since the bar’s opening. The Kowloon Dairy blends two Chinese medicinal liqueur (similar to the Italian’s Amaros) from a local distillery – Magnolia Lab, topped with a bubble tea inspired salted cheese foam & black sesame on top. Milk & Honey blends Yuk Bing Siu, a local spirit distilled with pork fat (yep that’s a thing!), milk liqueur made from scratch and Jinxuan oolong tea, a varietal from Southern Taiwan that’s known for its creaminess. The cherry on top is a Fujiya Milk candy, a Japanese sweet that would make any Hong Kongers born in the 90s feel instantly nostalgic.
Address: 65 Peel St, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
Google Map: https://share.google/ZAmFKFqPoJz9w5c0G
Instagram: @kinsman.hk
Dio
Shorthand for Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, Dio is the kind of café-bar you could easily walk straight past on Aberdeen Street in Central. Serving coffee by day, the space turns into a Hong Kong inspired cocktail bar after dark. Behind the concept are Nick Tse, of the acclaimed Japanese cocktail bar Bar Buonasera, and Billy Ha, a former Shangri-La Group F&B marketing veteran and Hong Kong street photographer known as @spoonek9.
The Summer 2026 menu takes plenty of inspiration from familiar local flavours. Salted Black Bean Fish combines bonito-infused gin, preserved black bean cordial, Ancho Reyes chilli liqueur and umami bitters, turning a classic Cantonese dish into a rather boozy cocktail. Then there’s Diosoy, a playful nod to the nostalgic malted milk drink by Vitasoy. Made with Magnolia Lab, black glutinous rice, oat milk and homemade ginger tea syrup, it’s childhood memories distilled in the much familiar Vitasoy-like glass bottle.
Address: 8 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
Google Map: https://share.google/b8DJPPN161zccv4zr
Instagram: @dio.cafebar
Clan & Co
Kowloon isn’t exactly known for its cocktail bar scene, but the team behind Clan & Co might just change that. The neighbourhood bar occupies the former home of Tai On Cha Sui Teng (?????), a local diner that had been serving the neighbourhood since 1969 (just a year after my parents were born in fact!).
When owner Mr Chan was ready to retire and close Tai On for good, Timothy and Tiffany stepped in to take over the space, determined to give this little corner of Kowloon another life rather than let a piece of local history slip away. By day, it operates as a modern café; come evening, Dennis Mak, founder of Magnolia Lab, takes over the space as Clan & Co. His traditional Chinese liqueur brand, inspired by TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), brings herbal tea cocktails and drinks made with nostalgic Hong Kong ingredients to the neighbourhood.
Our favourites are from the Herbal Tea Series, which plays with the bitter, sweet, floral and herbal flavours you’d find in a traditional Cantonese herbal tea shop.
Five Flower Tea is a cocktail take on the classic Cantonese herbal tea blend, made with Two Moons Five Flowers Tea Gin (another Hong Kong distillery), roselle and Cynar, and finished with a chrysanthemum flower. Salted Kumquat takes a rather citrus route, combining kumquat honey and Magnolia with N.I.P Rare Dry Gin and soda for a bright, slightly salty-sour sip.
Then there’s Sour Plum Soup, our pick if you’re after something more refreshing. Made with roselle, Amaro Montenegro and Magnolia Lab Roselle, it’s a distinctly Chinese cocktail inspired by the classic suan mei tong ???, the sour plum drink traditionally served to whet your appetite. We cannot promise that you won’t crave for more drinks upon your first sip. 😉
Address: G/F, 830 Canton Rd, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Google Map: https://share.google/OXK65fpsZkbjPobxD
Instagram: @clan.andco