Night Life
Michael Taylor heads to Hong Kong Island for a Media Preview of “A Night in Cuba”, which features Cuban cocktails, Cuban street food, Cuban music, and Cuban cigars at the roof top lounge of East on Hong Kong Island.
Sugar (Bar.Deck.Lounge) at Taikoo Shing East on Hong Kong Island was transformed into Little Havana last night at the media preview of “A Night in Cuba”, which will be held every Wednesday night at the rooftop venue until further notice.
Cuban street fare such as tostones, croquettas, and empanadas were washed down with cocktails crafted from Cuban and Caribbean rums. The general consensus was that the empanadas won the night.
Mojito Wheel
One of the highlights of the sultry evening was a Mojito Wheel, which created personalized mojitos from various combinations of fruit, syrup, and rum.
Team Leader Patrick Natino said that he and a colleague spent 30 minutes sampling every one of the various combinations to make sure that they would all win favour with the most discerning of customers.
“I personally tested all of the possible combinations, and they all worked,” Patrick said.
“They were all beautiful and refreshing.”
When asked how he felt following his 30 minute marathon, Patrick said, “Amazing! There are so many different types of rum. It has many complexities.”
A Night in Cuba
So how did the concept of “A Night in Cuba” evolve?
“Basically, we wanted to bring a piece of the Caribbean to Hong Kong,” Patrick said.Â
“We have this perfect outdoor deck and this amazing view!”
But there was more to it than that. Unlike wine, cognac, tequila, and beer, rum is a relatively unknown quantity in Hong Kong.Â
“A lot of people in Hong Kong don’t know much about rum, and we wanted to open up their minds a bit,” Patrick said.
“There are different varieties of rum from all over the world. We wanted people to know that there are a lot of things that you can do with it.”
I was the first journalist to arrive and the first to try my hand at the Mojito Wheel. The resulting Rasberry, Honey, and Myers’s Dark Rum Mojito – served over chipped ice – was tart, sweet, fruity, delicious, and very, very cold.
Several more yummy mojitos – made with various concoctions of fruit, syrup, and rum – were to follow.
And if truth be told, I was overhead saying shortly before I called it a night, “These are the best cocktails I have ever tasted!”
Or perhaps that was the alcohol talking …
Sugar is located atop East, a 345 room business hotel located at 29 Taikoo Shing Road, Swire Island East, on Hong Kong Island. It is located on the MTR Island Line. Get off at Taikoo Shing Station and take Exit D1.