Bar De Luxe marked its eighth anniversary last year, cementing its status as one of Hong Kong’s few bars capable of pairing refined, crisp Ginza-style drinks with a lively ambience. Ties to legendary bartender Hidetsugu Ueno, of Bar High Five fame, remain and staff still visit Ginza to train under the icon. No wonder staff excel at “bartender’s choice” experiences. Guests simply specify preferred flavours, and these skilled bartenders craft bespoke cocktails with remarkable accuracy. Newcomers can start with BDL’s regular selection of signatures, though. The Black Negroni (gin, Carpano Antica Formula and Fernet Branca) provides an unusual herbal spin on the classic, while the Cigarette (Kilchoman Machir Bay whisky, sweet vermouth, Bitter Truth EXR and home-made roasted tea bitters) is a punchy and unsurprisingly smoky long-time favourite.