Where did your love for bartending come from?
I was working at Soho House in Hong Kong in 2019 and I got their bartender’s handbook; it had 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 (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 the 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.
