Those with a taste for tippling will already know that mezcals are the latest libations to tickle Hong Kong’s notoriously fickle fancy. Although introduced only relatively recently, these smoky Mexican spirits have already achieved stratospheric popularity among the city’s beverage cognoscenti.
Which all rather begs the question – what exactly is a ‘mezcal’? Put simply, it’s an innately Mexican style of spirit, one distilled in nine of the country’s 31 states and all derived from the agave, a fleshy plant species native to tropical America.
Mexico is home to over 30 different agave sub-species, with nearly all of them co-opted for alcoholic purposes by one distiller or another. In every instance, a similar distillation process is involved – first the piña (agave stem) is roasted and smoked in an underground pit (which gives mezcal its characteristically smoky taste). Then the residue is crushed and left to ferment in water. Perhaps the best-known of all the mezcals is tequila. This particular variant is made solely from blue agave, an ingredient that gives it its legendary kick.
Armed with this basic grounding in all things mezcal then, which Hong Kong hostelry best meets the needs of the novice imbiber of Mexican hard liquor? The most obvious first stop would be Central’s COA. Taking its inspiration from Oaxaca – Mexico’s leading mezcal-producing state – this cosy new bar is the brainchild of Jay Khan, the award-winning beverage boffin best known for his work at Foxglove and Dr. Fern’s Gin Parlour.
Overall, COA is clearly Khan’s paean of praise to Mexican-style intoxication. It boasts mezcals distilled from 20 different agave varietals, including tequila and raicilla, and also offers other traditional tipples such as tepache, a fermented fruit-based alcohol.
While the drinkery wears its Mexican affiliations with true panache, Khan maintains the establishment remains, above all, a cocktail bar, saying: “While we do want to introduce the wonderful traditions of tequila and mezcal to our guests, we also pride ourselves on our wider artisanal cocktail range.”
For those solely set on a little hombre homage, however, the Horchata de Pistachio – a delicious cocktail that balances Ocho Blanco tequila with homemade horchata (a milky, nutty concoction) and pistachio orgeat, garnished with a pistachio biscuit and purple sweet potato dust – is probably the ideal place to start.
Another true Mexican stand-out is the Mezcal Paloma, a blend of mezcal, tequila, grapefruit soda and lime. According to Khan, this is the drink favoured by visiting bartenders whenever they pop into COA. A better recommendation you are not likely to get.
Aware that many can prove a trifle wary of Mexican alcohol, Khan sees himself as on a mission to convert such unbelievers, saying: “When someone lands up at COA and doesn’t order a tequila or a mezcal cocktail, I have to ask them why. Inevitably, it’s because they’ve heard bad things. After they’ve tried a Horchata de Pistachio or two, however, all such inhibitions seem to vanish.”
While the pioneering work undertaken by COA (and several other like-minded hotspots, including Mezcalito, Brickhouse and 11 Westside) certainly seems to have won the city over, it’s no secret that Hong Kong has a notoriously short attention span.
Time and time again, today’s favoured flavours have become undrinkably gauche within a month or two. Will mezcal be the one to woo the city’s drinkers into a long-term libation assignation? We certainly hope so.
COA. Shop A, LG/F, Wah Shin House,6-10 Shin Hing Street, Central.
(852) 2813 5787. coa.com.hk
Text: Tenzing Thondup