Rosewood Hong Kong’s jazz and cocktail parlour DarkSide has launched a new cocktail menu inspired by retro drinks from the last century.
Dubbed the Modern Forgotten Classic Menu, the offering features elevated libations with a whimsical twist, each crafted by Director of Bars Arkadiuz Rybak and the DarkSide mixology team. It will be rolled out at the venue on 9 May.
Highlights include Jungle Bird, a Tiki-style cocktail first created by Jeffrey Ong in 1978 for the opening of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton’s Aviary Bar. DarkSide’s version is made with Plantation 5-year-old rum, bitter Campari and freshly squeezed pineapple and lime – and it comes served in an Alto highball glass, garnished with a maraschino cherry and banana leaf.
There is also a reimagination of the classic Sidecar, which is thought to have been invented around the end of World War I in either London or Paris, and whose origins are claimed by The Ritz Hotel in Paris. At DarkSide, patrons can expect a shaken drink that is first poured into a tailor-made ceramic side car crafted by the Hong Kong local artisan Tung Yao Ceramic. The drink, a composition of Rémy Martin VSOP, lemon and Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, is then poured at the table into an elegant cut signature coupette glass.
Other concoctions on the menu include the blackberry-infused The Bramble, first created in London in 1980, and Chicago Fizz, first served in the US city’s Waldorf Astoria hotel in the years leading up to Prohibition.
DarkSide celebrates rare aged spirits, vintage cigars and confident classic cocktails complemented by sultry live jazz. The venue was recently ranked 13th on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list.
