Cathay Members’ Choice Awards

Cathay Members’ Choice Awards 2026: Hong Kong’s best new bar

From a sultry new joint inspired by a cult movie to an old-fashioned drinking den straight out of Havana – when it comes to drinking, Hong Kong is spoilt for choice
By Cathay
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Bartender pouring a red liquid from a small glass into a pink cocktail in a martini glass at Montana in Hong Kong, with bar tools and bottles arranged on the counter.

Welcome to the Cathay Members’ Choice Awards. Our annual awards celebrate the very best in travel, dining and lifestyle – as voted by you, our global community of tastemakers. 

After counting the votes, we’re thrilled to announce the results of this year’s awards. Discover Hong Kong’s best new bar, as well as the three nominees that made it to the shortlist. 

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Interior of Montana in Hong Kong, featuring red tabletops, leather banquette seating and upholstered armchairs, with framed vintage-style portraits and music-themed artwork on dark green walls.
Bartender at Montana in Hong Kong holding a metal cocktail shaker and wearing a white short-sleeved shirt embroidered with their logo and a black bow tie, with bar tools arranged on the counter.

Winner: Montana 

Montana may be the sister spot to the World’s Best Bar 2025, but it’s no side act. The Hollywood Road opening brings together two of the cocktail world’s most influential names – Bar Leone’s Lorenzo Antinori and Simone Caporale of Barcelona’s Sips – in a setting that blends old‑school Havana glamour with slick Miami swagger. Tropical classics such as the Montana Daiquiri – a house take on the Cuban original – anchor the menu. Almost tied with the fantastic Gokan, Montana clinched the title as one of the most buzzed-about new openings in recent memory. 

Shortlisted nominees

Cosy bar interior at Socio with a tiled counter lined with bottles, warm lighting, green banquette seating and small round tables facing the entrance.

Socio

This inventive Soho bar sources surplus ingredients from nearby restaurants and bars (listed on its menu), transforming them into surprisingly sophisticated cocktails. At Socio , oyster shells become oyster- and vinegar-infused vodka; a banana peel is infused into a whiskey highball with lemongrass, white pepper and fig leaf soda. Cheese rinds, pineapple skins, even leftover rice – nothing is wasted, and everything is unexpectedly delicious at one of Hong Kong’s most creative new watering holes.

Tall pink cocktail at Kinsman garnished with a small chocolate cube and leaf, set on a wooden table with a black-and-white photograph in the background.

Kinsman

As its name suggests, Kinsman is all about honouring Hong Kong heritage. Its tightly curated 10-cocktail menu changes routinely, drawing on stories of ancestry and diaspora – such as Chinatowns around the world and Hong Kong’s indigenous clans – while turning a spotlight on Cantonese and Chinese spirits. The interiors, inspired by Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, channel pure Hong Kong nostalgia, with cherry-red leather booths, warm wood panelling, and chequerboard floors that feel borrowed from a retro-chic cha chaan teng. 

Bar at Gokan with a long counter lined with stools, shelves of bottles and glassware, and geometric wood detailing framing the space.

Gokan

Reservations are strongly recommended at this discreet cocktail den, the first in Hong Kong from internationally renowned Japanese mixologist Shingo Gokan . Sleek black interiors channel the sophistication of Tokyo’s underground late-night drinking spots, while the menu explores the Japanese philosophy of “fives” – balancing the five senses, alongside flavour profiles, colours and techniques to optimise the tasting experience. It’s earned a reputation among our panellists as one of the city’s ultimate cocktail experiences – high praise indeed.  

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