Step inside and if you listen closely, you can hear it—the clink of glass, the shake of ice, the bursts of laughter, the roar of celebration. It’s a cacophony of cocktails…at one time a Strauss waltz, another a Herrmann score. Even if you wanted to resist it, the pull is too strong.
From the over-the-top opulence of the historic to the sleek and chic of the contemporary, hotel bars are magnetic. They attract out-of-towners and in-towners, haters and lovers, strangers and friends – all sharing secrets and stories over a masterfully made Martini!
This year, in association with Altamura Distilleries, I’ll be exploring some of the world’s most legendary bars—uncovering what makes them the beating heart of the hotel.
Our next stop is Hong Kong!
The Upper House, Hong Kong
If you’ve ever watched Let’s Make a Deal, the long-running American game show, you’ll know the anticipation of finding out what lies behind Curtain #1, Curtain #2 or Curtain #3 – will it be everything the eager contestant has dreamt of? At the Upper House Hong Kong, there is no need for suspense, I can assure you that something irresistible lies behind every curtain.
You might miss the Upper House without even realizing it was there. This was done entirely on purpose. The cleverly designedStone Curtain facade conceals the hotel from its busy surroundings.
When I say busy, I mean it – Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world. Finding a sense of calm in this urban landscape dominated by skyscrapers can sometimes feel impossible.
Step behind Upper House’s Curtain #1 and you are unlikely to recognize it as a hotel lobby at all. Its floor-to-ceiling glass entrance feels more like a front door, with its small team of staff welcoming you in like house guests. Once inside, you are led to an escalator waiting to transport you upward to parts unknown.
The Upper House was the first hotel created by Hong Kong-born, Cambridge educated architect & designer André Fu in 2009. His inspiration for this dramatic entrance was Japanese Torii – the gates traditionally found at Shinto shrines, acting as a threshold for the divine. Every aspect of the design is meant to make you feel a sense of calm as you make that journey from hustle and bustle of the Hong Kong streets to…the discovery of what’s behind Curtain #2.
Atop the 49th floor and found behind a dark green curtain, usually left open, The Green Room, The Upper House’s intimate bar, not only feels worlds away from the aforementioned energy of the city below, it is! Acting as the hotel’s snug, the bar’s comfy banquettes and cushy armchairs encourage guests to converse over beautifully crafted cocktails
When Gail Lanorias joined as Bar Operations Manager, the bar was part of Salisterra, the hotel’s Mediterranean restaurant. A former ballet dancer, Gail found herself loving the world of hospitality. After years spent in such an insular world, she couldn’t help feeling that there was so much more life to live when stepping behind a bar.
Even before she began working here, she loved the bar, especially its Martinis. How fortuitous to find herself at the helm a few years later. Once here, she felt the bar she loved deserved its own identity and set about to make it happen.
Since it was known internally simply as “the green room” because of its color palette, the name stuck. Gail knew from her own experience that the green room is where performers retreat when they are not needed on stage, a place to decompress, reflect and to socialize. That was the exact vibe she hoped for the Upper House’s Green Room – “a classic hotel bar, somewhere to come to relax, have a drink, meet friends, just be with people, with, of course, a great view.”
The Green Room is the heart of the hotel because it’s where stories are actually told and unfold. Everything else is just accommodation. The bar is where life happens. Gail Lanorias, Bar Operations Manager
While creating her first menu, she leaned into the Green Room theme, playfully naming each cocktail after a classic movie archetypes, e.g. The Everyman, Con Artist, and Fall Guy.
The Girl Next Door, a tequila based cocktail, was inspired by one of the chefs, whose cherry tart he garnished with tarragon. Gail fell for that flavor combination and knew it would make a great cocktail. “It took months to actually put it together, because it was a balance of acidity, sweetness, and we finally found this wonderful Three Cents cherry soda and it all came together.” The tequila and the tarragon are sous vided together for around two hours at 50° C, before the cocktail is built in the glass.
Padding onto the menu is the Cat Lady which combined Gail’s interest in the use of olive oil as an ingredient in cocktails and desserts and a hotel regular’s standing order of a Chocolate Martini. Shaken hard, the olive oil emulsifies into the chocolate, and then Gail adds a spot of coffee to boost the chocolate taste even more. A little bourbon rounds it out. Why call it the Cat Lady? Gail claims because it’s light, creamy, and a little crazy!
Inspired by a local dessert made with red bean, rose, yuzu, and matcha, one of her teammates conceived the Star-Crossed Lovers. Since all of the ingredients were Japanese, they decided to use shochu as the base spirit. “The earthiness of the shochu really grounds the red bean, yuzu can sometimes be perceived as sweet even though it’s sour.” The rose syrup adds to the sweetness and then it is topped up with a little soy cream.
Their most popular cocktail is the Southern Belle, an adult take on the Apple-tini – so called for its association with the USA, apples, and apple pie. Avallen Calvados, a little cheeky green apple liqueur, lemon, and their house champagne, which also has notes of apple, all come together to make it an Upper House favorite.
Given Gail’s history, a Martini was guaranteed to appear on any menu she would create. Alongside the Classic (Dry, Wet or Dirty), the Vesper and the Tuxedo are on show with Altamura Distilleries Vodka or Widges Gin at the ready, depending on what you fancy.
In this Green Room, both locals and visitors to Hong Kong settle back and let themselves be slowly seduced by the cocktails, the conversation, and what’s behind Curtain #3. (Did you think I had forgotten to mention Curtain #3!?)
That incredible skyline – from the aerie of the Green Room’s 49th floor, the view over Hong Kong across the shimmering Victoria Harbour and over to the Kowloon side, as far as the eye can see! All a reminder of why it’s the heart of the hotel and The Upper House is considered one of the world’s best hotels.
The Green Room has a strong magnetic pull. I noticed it immediately when I arrived at the House. It has always been the most highly sought after seating within the outlets of our hotel. It is a jewel box of a design without being too precious and invokes a feeling that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. There are places to see and be seen and others for complete privacy including a back hallway direct to the lift where you can escape without walking past the main entrance. There’s a coziness to the space from the rich velvet curtain to the boucle fabric on the sofa seating with gorgeous green marble and emerald-lacquered walls not to mention the panoramic views of the iconic HK skyline. The room does a lot of the heavy lifting. As a team, we designed a menu that was decidedly “complex yet not complicated”. We didn’t want the menu have to come with an instruction manual or extreme garnishes for show. We still showcase modern techniques but stay true to layering flavors around the spirits to balance flavors of bitterness, herbaceous, brightness and sweetness. Nick Moore, Director of Restaurants
