As you walk the incline of the Hong Kong Peak, you are inclined to wonder whether a peak so steep is permissible in a city! Fellow climbers evidently do not share your curiosity as they sprint upward through the uncountable steps with ease and elan.

As I laboriously made my way through the steps I feared that a mere arching of my back would plummet me into an abyss! The steps finally did end and in the expanse of the landing was a residential area which had multi-storied apartments that enfolded the peak facing the city with aplomb. Amidst the lofty buildings was our destination, Bar Leone – Asia’s best bar and world’s 2nd best.

As we looked around and walked hither thither there was no facade that protruded or caved in so as to boast a global renown. There was an inconspicuous yellow building that had 2 benches put outside and few people, who were not that inconspicuously attired, siting on them. As we walked towards it, the wooden door of the building opened and they walked in patiently. The woman at the door looked at us and in a moment we realized she was waiting to take our names down.

We sat down on the bench, jet-lagged but excited to savor the famed handcrafted mixology! Without having to endure the chilly night for long, our names were called in and we stepped into Bar Leone.

It was nothing like I had ever imagined! In dim lights, cosy interiors welcomed me that resembled a neighborhood home that you may have visited in your childhood! Bar Leone symbolized casualness in a sheer simplicity that cannot be curated or duplicated, but like a charm grows naturally in you. It reminds you of an ease you cannot put your finger on but cannot help lull yourself into.

In a small table for two, we sat down, and it felt like we were amidst conversations, cheer and chaos. In a minute or two, we raised our voices and started discussing our day and we became one with the crowd.

The staff at Bar Leone, are no different from the apt general description of the place, they are pleasant, friendly, easy to converse to! They explained the structure of the menu, how the drinks appear in the list of menu in accordance with the potency of the flavors! As per their strong recommendations we ordered our drinks and food.

As you look around the place, you feel you are in a microcosm of the world in itself. In fact, it is the crowd that makes you realize that you are in a globally acclaimed bar, there are evidently people from far and near experiencing Bar Leone for the nth time or first time.

As the drinks started arriving, we got busy in clicking the pictures of the art in a glass!

After a multitude of pictures and video, I took the first sip and the world around me blurred out and I put my phone down. No amount of captures in phone would do justice to handcrafted magic I held in my hand.

The cocktail concoction swam in my glass akin to a lyrical poetry. All the notes vyed to make its presence felt and all of them easily won, in each sip, till the end! I tried an olive based sour cocktail and a coffee based strong cocktail. I am still at loss on what I enjoyed the most, the sharp notes of coffee, sour notes of olive or the alcohol that entwined them in unison!

Excellent food and desserts complement the exceptional drinks at Bar Leone. You can always rely on the staff to make great recommendation that befits your palette.

Bar Leone definitely lives up to its fame, there is only one drawback though, it spoils you that no other cocktail can match up to the way it tantalizes your taste buds. A must visit in Hong Kong!

The lively Italian music, casual charm and inimitable concoctions made for a night to remember forever.

I also vividly remember climbing down the peak, which took less effort as we danced our way down in high spirits!