Bar Butler

Excellent location for custom drinks! We told our boi Roy what we were looking for, and he delivered — and more! Not satisfied with just delivering excellent drinks to our palettes, he launched into a mini cocktail lesson with us, explaining his methodology and thought process behind every creation. A truly unique experience, if you go find Roy Kai and you won’t be disappointed!

Butler is an absolutely fabulous Japanese bar that the boy and I ended up visiting nearly every night we were in Hong Kong. It’s conveniently located within a 30 second walk of the MTR, has two levels (the second level has a more extensive/​expensive whiskey selection), and can usually accommodate walk-​ins.
Highlights would definitely be:
+ Quality cocktails & whiskey selection
+ Very cool ambiance (loved the jazzy Miyazaki music that was playing)
+ A surprisingly well-​stocked kitchen (or at least fast-​thinking staffers)
+ Fantastic service
I would gladly frequent this place on a regular basis, if I lived nearby. Crowd-​wise, it really varies — Monday/​Tuesday night when we went, it was easy to be seated, but we had a small wait on Thursday night. Regardless, it’s worth it.

HK is infamous for its «buy one get one free» happy hour drinks — but at what price! Over-​sweetened fizzy water without a trace of alcohol, or the next best thing to Everclear. It seems that, despite the number of sophisticated lounges and bars around, HKers’ love to fork over their hard-​earned money on crap drinks I wouldn’t even feed my cat. That is, till Bar Butler.
The name of this establishment isn’t meant to be «cute». These bar keeps are really BAR BUTLERS — understatedly-​dressed in the traditional white starched shirt, grey vest and black pants with 30s music playing in the background. These men are serious about mixology the way your Aunt Mildred is serious about making needlepoint pictures of kittens.
The bar is awesomely stocked with whiskeys and scotches I’d never heard of, which will take me several lifetimes to sample completely. Knowing how much I love a good old fashioned I immediately asked for one (rye whiskey), and my Bar Butler dove right into the task, taking out three different types of bitters (from Germany!) and a brand of rye I’d never heard of.
Just as a comparison, here’s how an old fashioned is made our house —
Me: Hey, honey. Where are the cherries?
My Better Half: (scratching his naked hairy ass that has a few potato chips attached) Huh? Idunnowhathayou?
Me: Honey, is that the empty bottle of rye whiskey I see you holding there?
Here’s how an old fashioned is made at Bar Butler —
BB takes three types of bitters and pours them over a sugar cube placed strategically in the center of a large paper napkin. Then puts sugar cube in said old fashioned glass, inserts one large cube of ice and pours whiskey over ice. Proceeds to place half of a sliced orange on top, while asking me to «smell the napkin» that contains the sweet aroma of the bitters. Top off with home made maraschino cherry. Viola! No embarrassing bodily noises, no whining, and no licking up the mess made on the counter afterwards.
My Bar Butler recommended that I sample the old fashioned first and muddle the orange, if I find it’s not «sweet» enough (I specifically asked for not too sweet). The old fashioned without orange was good enough (plus orange will only sop up the liquor), but I found the rye whiskey not to be as «rough» as the one I use (Darby). However, the drink was smooth, the delivery smoother, and within one drink I was kind smashed.
Fortunately BB also has simple eats, like cheese and tapas. After wolfing down an entire cheese plate, I was still tipsy so had to call it a night. It was not cheap. A HKD30 cover + drink price + cheese plate… but the experience was unforgettable — the way an old fashioned, a gin tonic, or a martini really should be enjoyed. As I left, my BB even walked me to the elevator (he probably thought I couldn’t find it at this point). A place to be savored and enjoyed for those who truly enjoy spirits.

My friend and I went to the whisky bar for a drink after dinner. The selection was excellent, so many whiskies that I have never heard of were on the shelf.
The bar men serving us was great. He made a great whisky sour and a drink which he created on the spot based in my friends preferred taste. I had the normal whisky on the rocks.
We also ordered the cheese platter which was also great.
We would definitely come back again as there is soo much to choose from.

Broad selection of scotches and some bourbons. Friendly, knowledgable staff in a very intimate setting. Tasty snacks and desserts available. We had a great time early on a Saturday night. Reservations essential for later in the evening.

Ok. So. Task on hand: they said they can make any cocktail. I gave them a challenge: a cocktail I had at the Burj khalifa. They were like ‘oh…’
But they went to work…
Dude. It tastes EXACTLY like that cocktail. They didn’t have mango so they used banana & Apple to replicate it. A-​MAZ-​ING.
Then I had another drink called the Thai-​Jagermeister. A jäger that is only found in Thailand. What.
It was cute. One of the bartenders came up with the mix. His wife named the cocktail. She is a stay-​at-​home mom, the bartender
told me :)
I came here and some how I’m living and dying at the same time. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!!!
S***faced but coherent. What happened?
The drinks are ridiculously potent here. Please be prepared.
*moans and sighs at same time*
1930’s-1950’s tunes were in the background and I loved it. Loved. It.
Japanese, yet Hong Kong-​esque as well.
Loved.

Some authority entertaining magazine named it best bar in 2013 I remember.
Again, whisky ice cube. Pure to perfect and finely shaped. The long lasting shaking in the glass is pleasant. And no syrup makes me nodding. Best food and beverage is artificial-​free. They display quite a lot fruit as they need to use them. A-​ha!
The duo founders has a background rolling around high-​end bars in Ginza, Tokyo and remain the innovative style. I always adore their outfit and their glasses.

I’m not sure if there is a still a big fuss over Butler in TST, actually, I’m not sure there ever was a big fuss over it, even when it first opened. It’s a subtle place, opening some years ago now, to not much fanfare, but still going strong today.
Butler is a Japanese style cocktail bar. It is a bit tricky to find, being up on the 5^th floor of Mody House in TST, but once you are there, you may be pleasantly surprised. The venue is very cosy and intimate, but also very small, only around 20 seats, so make sure you book.
The menu is a huge array of Japanese inspired cocktails, all of which are expertly made and presented. I believe at last count there was something like 2000 cocktail recipes, and 200 spirits in stock alone. My recommendation is pretty much anything alcoholic, because you will need to be slightly inebriated to handle the bill.
The bar is not cheap. There is a minimum charge of HKD20 (before service), but you will easily smash this with a drink and a half, and the «snack» fee. To be fair, the drinks are superbly made. These are the blueprints of how cocktails should be made, with the precision of Uchida the owner/​mixologist is astounding. So, whilst expensive, it’s definitely worth it occasionally, just to see how it should be done.
There is some food available, mostly Japanese inspired, but strangely there is also cheese and Prosciutto available from the ham hind that adorns one end of the bar.