High Life

HIGH LIFE 79 屡 获殊荣的调酒师 Jay Khan 秉 持对墨西哥充满活力的饮酒文 化及墨西哥龙舌兰酒的热爱，开创了 香港首间瓦哈卡风格手工鸡尾酒吧 COA，选址于 SoHo 的心脏地带。 酒领域专家 Khan 是香港国际葡萄酒 及烈酒等多项调酒大赛的固定评审， 亦是 Rémy Cointreau 等知名品牌 的大使。 他称：“对我来说，这是梦想成 真！作为一个过去十多年来一直在酒 吧工作的人来说，我的梦想就是能够 开创和经营自己的酒吧。多年来，我 一直热爱和研究墨西哥龙舌兰酒，过 去三年曾到墨西哥不同地区旅行，学 习和寻找那里最好的产品。” 用来收割龙舌兰、形如弯刀的工 具叫做 coa，代表了一种简单质朴的 生活方式，亦反映出勤奋专注的工匠 精神。COA 酒吧便以此命名。墨西 哥瓦哈卡州的当地农场以盛产龙舌兰 而闻名，拥有世界上最广泛的龙舌兰 品种，而龙舌兰正是酿造梅斯卡尔酒 的原料。为了收割巨大的龙舌兰，农 民会使用这种特殊工具：它拥有尖锐 的边缘，圆头，长1.2米，不但可以 切割厚厚的龙舌兰叶，还可以干净利 落地从土壤中翻出粗根。它是瓦哈卡 州农民生活中不可或缺的重要元素， 传承着手工艺者的精湛技艺。 COA 重视调酒师与客人之间的 互动交流，于是装饰出一个舒适、开 放又亲密的空间，且加入些许工业风 元素。为呈现谦逊的墨西哥瓦哈卡风 格，室内装饰以木材、砖块和混凝土 材料为主，伴以昏暗的蜡烛灯光。墙 壁上饰有精美手绘壁画以及象征工匠 精神的工具。 C hanneling his love for Mexico’s vibrant drinking culture and passion for its native agave spirits, multiple award-winning bar veteran Jay Khan has led the birth of Hong Kong’s very first Oaxacan inspired artisanal cocktail bar, COA, in the beating heart of SoHo. A regular panelist at spirit-judging competitions such as the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition and ambassador to prestigious brands such as Remy Cointreau, the legendary Khan has emerged as a tried-and-true expert in the field of fine spirits. “It’s a dream come true for me, as a bar person who has been working the past 10 years, to finally be running my own bar in Hong Kong,” he says. “Throughout the years I have developed a love of mezcal and agave spirits and have traveled extensively in the past three years in Mexico to learn and source the best products there are.” Named after the age-old machete-like tool used for harvesting agave, COA represents a rustic, down to earth and authentic lifestyle, reflecting the soul of the hardworking artisan. At local farms in Oaxaca, Mexico – home to the broadest range of agave species in the world – are endless fields of these agave plants from which mezcal is born. To harvest a giant agave, the local farmers will utilize a very special tool