Red Sugar at Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong launches new cocktail menu ‘Liú’
Red Sugar’s new cocktail menu, Liú (流), is a sensory journey that interprets the philosophy of the Four Seasons and the symbolic Four Gentlemen through a series of modern, carefully composed cocktails. Named for the Chinese word meaning “flow” or “liquid”, Liú reflects seasonal rhythm and enduring virtues: grace, resilience, integrity and elegance, expressed through refined, distinctly Chinese flavours.
Developed in dialogue with Hung Tong, the hotel’s Cantonese restaurant, the menu grounds these poetic ideas in the familiarity of Cantonese taste. Techniques such as fat-washing, tea infusion and smoke are used to reframe classic ingredients, including chenpi, salted plum and chrysanthemum, resulting in cocktails that feel both contemporary and unmistakably rooted in tradition. The collection honours Cantonese heritage while embracing the precision and creativity of modern mixology.
Chūn (Photo: courtesy of Red Sugar)
New snack offerings at Red Sugar (Photo: courtesy of Red Sugar)
Red Sugar’s Liú menu features a series of cocktails inspired by seasonality and symbolism. Chūn (春) is a refreshing gin sour infused with tieguanyin tea, where the delicate floral notes of Chinese tea are lifted by elderflower liqueur, creating a balanced and aromatic expression of spring. Dōng (冬) offers a winter-leaning take on the Old Fashioned, using goose fat-washed bourbon for savoury depth, gently perfumed with lychee wood smoke. Inspired by the charcoal furnaces traditionally used for roast goose, the cocktail is rounded out with Okinawa black sugar, delivering a deep molasses sweetness that feels especially comforting in colder months while remaining compelling year-round.
Méi (梅) brings together salted plum, Huadiao wine and hibiscus tea in a tart yet soothing combination. Long valued in traditional Chinese culture for their restorative qualities, salted plums lend both sharpness and familiarity, resulting in a flavour profile that is nostalgic as well as refreshing. Completing the selection is Zhú (竹), a crisp, layered cocktail blending Chu Yeh Ching Chiew with cucumber and pineapple rice wine, finished with a subtle floral aroma that keeps the drink light and refreshing.
Alongside the cocktail menu, Red Sugar introduces a new snack selection that reimagines classic Cantonese flavours with contemporary twists. Highlights include Hong Kong-style prawn toast, a nostalgic favourite lifted with sesame and sweet-and-sour sauce; a mapo tofu quesadilla that brings together Sichuan spice and melted cheese in a bold cross-cultural pairing; and fried chicken glazed with fermented bean curd (HK$118), offering a crisp, savoury bite with a distinctly Cantonese finish.