High Life

80 品 called a coa. With a sharp edge, the round-headed, 1.2 meter-long tool can cut into the heart of thick agave pencas (leaves) and cleanly flip the thick roots out from the soil. The coa is essential to the agricultural life of local farmers and is a powerful symbol of effort and commitment to meticulous handcrafting processes. With a strong focus on the interactions shared between the staff and guests, COA boasts a cosy, open and intimate space with reclaimed industrial accents. The humble Oaxaca-inspired setting favors wood, brick and concrete elements and is dimly litbycandles that cast a soft glow over beautifully hand-drawn murals of goddesses and mythical creatures as well as a real coa from Oaxaca embedded into the wall of the bar, serving as a symbol of craftsmanship. 在龙舌兰的世界里，女神玛雅赫 尔 Mayahuel 统治着墨西哥中部的仙 界。在 COA 入口的墙壁上，便绘有 一副 Mayahuel 女神壁画。她既是 龙舌兰的女神，亦是阿兹台克神话中 的生育女神。传说 Mayahuel 有400 个孩子，他们以兔子的形象示人，女 神则以400个乳房喂养他们。COA 墙上对女神的描绘，传达了酒吧本身 的追求：孕育创新酒品，关心新老顾 客。女神死后的骨头和灰烬诞生了世 界上第一株龙舌兰植物，正如 COA 乃香港第一间以龙舌兰为主题的手工 特调鸡尾酒吧。 COA 是墨西哥以外唯一可以品 尝到这些稀有手工龙舌兰酒的去处， 所典藏的其中一种梅斯卡尔品牌 Los Danzantes Still Proof Maturado Vidrio, 全球仅生产了470瓶，酿制 于瓦哈卡州 Santiago Matatlan 的 Los Danzantes Palenque。在大玻 璃瓶中陈酿四年后，Los Danzantes Madurado 变得极其丝滑。传统上， 这种玻璃熟成的梅斯卡尔酒只于特殊 场合饮用，例如欢迎家中的新生婴 儿。 COA 另一个独家发售的品牌 是 Los Javis Jabali, 一 种 非 常 复 杂、口味丰富的梅斯卡尔酒。这种 酒用极其罕见的龙舌兰品种 Jabali （Convallis）为材料，并经过复杂 的蒸馏过程才形成。其成分的性质 造成其在加工过程中发泡和膨胀，从 而会导致蒸馏过程中一些蒸馏器受 损。El Jolgorio Tepeztate 亦 是 墨 西哥以外，全球只可以在香港 COA 找到的龙舌兰酒。产于瓦哈卡州的 Tepeztate，由世界上最稀有的一种 龙舌兰酿造，这种龙舌兰平均需要逾 三十年才能成熟。 In the world of agave, the goddess Mayahuel reigns supreme as the most storied higher being in central Mexico where the legends were born. On the wall is a breath- taking mural of Mayahuel, also known as the goddess of fertility in Aztec mythology. As the legend goes, Mayahuel had 400 children that took the form of rabbits and 400 breasts to feed and nurse them. Her depiction on the wall at COA is characteristic of the bar itself – a place that tenders, nurtures and cares about its patrons as much as Mayahuel did her children. Her final contribution to the earth was having her bones and body give birth to the first agave plants in the world, just as COA is the very first agave-based artisanal cocktail bar born in Hong Kong.