Tatler’s very own senior dining editor Gavin Yeung is a co-founder of Kinsman, a cocktail bar on Peel Street that pays homage to his Hong Kong roots and spotlights Cantonese spirits from a bygone era
Where did your love for bartending come from?
I’ve always had an appreciation for bars and how they create spaces that are removed from our everyday lives. I was working at Soho House in Hong Kong in 2019 and I got their bartender’s handbook, and there were recipes for more than 100 classic cocktails. I started going through all of them and making whatever I could. During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time at home and thanks to YouTube, I got really into watching videos of Japanese bartenders. Japanese bartending is very precise and almost monastic. It’s like a tea ceremony with alcohol. I loved it because it was all about being present in the moment and demonstrating your appreciation for the customer through actions.
How did this collaboration with Singular Concepts come about?
Last summer, Singular Concepts [the group Kinsman is launching under, and is also behind the likes of Sake Central, The Daily Tot and Tell Camellia] launched the Entourage chartered yacht, and I was invited to the media preview. I met David Sit, Singular Concepts’ CEO, on board, and we started talking about the bar scene in Hong Kong. He spoke about how he was enamoured by [seminal director] Wong Kar-wai films, and how he felt that there wasn’t a bar in Hong Kong that paid tribute to movies like In the Mood for Love (2000). I am a huge fan of Wong Kar-wai too and I totally agreed. At the time, I was preparing for a two-night guest bartending shift at The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. For that shift, I wanted to use Chinese spirits in the cocktails, as it’s a relatively unknown category in the cocktail world. I invited David to the event and he enjoyed my drinks—I think [laughs]. Later, he texted me about a site visit for a new space, and eight months later, we found the space that is now Kinsman.
How did your guest bartending stints at The Aubrey, Magnolia Lab and Dr Fern’s Gin Parlour prepare you for this new role?
I [don’t have formal] training as a bartender. I’m self-taught through YouTube videos and books. I try to create new cocktail recipes for every guest shift because it forces me to be creative. The guest bartending shifts also give me a sense of what people are looking for in terms of concepts and storytelling with cocktails. Each guest shift [has been] a testing ground for me.
Tell us about the name Kinsman.
Kinsman means “a relative by birth”. A lot of Cantonese distilleries that operated from the late 19th to mid-20th century were family-run operations, founded by the patriarch. The recipes would be passed down from father to son through generations. Kinsman recognises that familial tradition through Cantonese spirits. On a more poetic note, I believe the strongest bonds between people are built over drinks or shared [dining experiences].
What motivated you to open a bar dedicated to Cantonese spirits?
I was inspired by a cocktail by [award-winning mixologist] Antonio Lai at Quinary, which uses Yuk Bing Siu [rice wine macerated in pork fat]. I always wondered why we use rhum agricole from Martinique or eaux-de-vie from France—[instead of the unique spirits] from our own backyard. No other bars in Hong Kong are really giving these spirits the time of day.
Hong Kong is such an international city, but it’s always been fixated on the outside world, starting from the 1970s when people started importing Burgundy wine and cognac, which had notions of prestige and quality attached to them. This pushed out a lot of Cantonese distilleries from the market and that has continued to this day. Post-pandemic, many people are beginning to rediscover [their love for] Hong Kong through food, culture and nature. I want Kinsman [to be a part of] introducing this very overlooked aspect of Hong Kong history to the city.
