We were stopped in front of the not-so-secret-anymore Library bar next to Keong Saik Snacks. The bouncers? 28 HongKong Street barkeeps Michael Callahan and Zdenek Kastanel. When we got in, we saw that the Library was filled with faces from pretty much every hip speakeasy-style bar, and quickly realized that this was no ordinary press tasting.
In fact, it wasn’t a press event it all. It turned out to be a workshop in the art of vermouth-making and creating cocktails with it. We were treated to a presentation of the painstaking processes behind these artisanal vermouths, a tasting of medicinal-tasting drops of botanical concentrate, and, as part of the day’s entertainment, a showdown between mixologists Stefan Ravalli and Giancarlo Mancino as they outdid each other with increasingly ‘perfect’ negronis. It wasn’t until an hour in that we got to try the actual vermouths. (The crisp, mouthwatering Secco was our favorite.) Still, no complaints from us—we completely enjoyed watching these mixologeeks perfecting their craft.
