How to order at The Opposites in Central: sixteen cocktails, two answers to each classic
Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok turn eight classic templates into sixteen drinks on Hollywood Road. Explore the contrasting ideas, Hong Kong-inspired snacks and walk-in arrangements.
How many directions can a classic cocktail take? At The Opposites on Hollywood Road, Central, Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok offer sixteen drinks from eight classic templates, giving each starting point two answers. An October 22 menu feature brings technique, visual effects and familiar Hong Kong flavours together. For a first visit, a single comparison can explain more than trying to complete the list.
Snacks reworking Hong Kong flavours at The Opposites.Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok, alongside the entrance to The Opposites.
Why put two bar languages in one room?
Published descriptions show homogenising and distillation equipment at one end and a more classical bottle display at the other, with amber light contrasting against deep blue. This need not reduce one bartender to science and the other to tradition; it makes different working methods visible together. Notice how vessels, preparation and service sequences support the presentations.
Contrasting cocktails use different vessels and garnishes.Deep blue and warm lighting create contrast inside The Opposites.
Eight pairs also make the menu readable: find a familiar classic, then ask what each version changes. Instead of asking only for the most popular drink, describe fruit, soy, freshness or stronger alcohol character. Staff can translate an idea into a suitable choice without expecting everyone to enjoy the same theatrical effect.
Read a contrast through guava and soy
Scoop Me Up and Soya Sour are both listed at HK$150. The former uses a cone-shaped vessel, pink guava and white-tea foam, while the latter references local sweet soup through pisco, tofu and cardamom. Compare how a sour-drink starting point changes texture, aroma and local associations, rather than deciding which is more elevated.
A cone-shaped cocktail vessel in two visual presentations.
The Pimm’s-based Selling Seashell and Son of Pimm’s are HK$130 each. Shell-shaped vessels, clarified tomato and ingredients such as strawberry or lychee take the classic towards different fruit-and-vegetable combinations. This is a reading of published recipes, not our own tasting. Ask before ordering if soy, dairy or other ingredients are a concern.
Snacks, location and seating
Food follows the same rearrangement: black-garlic pork rice-paper rolls at HK$90, two mini Dongpo-pork griddle cakes at HK$90, or two Kong Dogs using fried dough instead of bread at HK$90. If dinner is the goal, confirm portions and current supply. For a small pairing, begin with one savoury item rather than piling up every intense element.
Rice-paper rolls and mini pancakes among the savoury food at The Opposites.
The Opposites is at LG/F, Hilltop Plaza, 49 Hollywood Road, Central. Published hours are daily 5pm–1am, telephone 2711 0038, with walk-in seating only. Reconfirm service charges, menu changes and seats with the venue. Giving two approaches time to unfold is closer to the name’s appeal than treating sixteen drinks as a collection to complete.
A red cocktail on a wooden table at The Opposites.
