In front of Asia’s bar community gathered at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Hong Kong bar Coa was announced as the winner of The Best Bar in Asia 2022, sponsored by Perrier, retaining the top honour at Asia’s 50 Best Bars for the second year in a row. Owner Jay Khan tells of the journey that led to this momentous victory
To shouts of ‘we love you Jay!’ and ‘tequila!’, a visibly emotional Jay Khan climbs to the stage at the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022 awards ceremony to accept Coa’s dual trophies as The Best Bar in Hong Kong and The Best Bar in Asia 2022. “My heart right now is pounding so hard, I’ve never felt like this before,” says the bar owner to the assembled peers, media and cocktail lovers who have gathered to witness the announcement live.
Coa opened in Hong Kong’s Central district less than five years ago. “It was a passion project for me,” recalls Khan. “I opened Coa thinking only of one thing: to promote agave spirits. I was just doing what I loved to do, I wasn’t thinking about the rest. I’m not a business person – I just had the hunger.”
The Asia's 50 Best Bars community was reunited at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Khan fell into the hospitality industry almost by accident, beginning his career at a karaoke bar. But as he learnt more about the craft of bartending, he became passionate about agave, a plant native to the tropical areas of Latin America from which spirits such as tequila, mezcal, raicilla and bacanora are produced through a process that sees the plant’s core baked, juiced and then fermented.
After travelling to Mexico for several years learning about agave spirits and visiting local drinking dens, Khan returned to Hong Kong with one of the machete-like tools traditionally used to harvest the plant – called a coa. The utensil now is proudly displayed inside the award-winning bar as a reminder of its humble origin on the other side of the planet.
Khan's bar in Hong Kong, with the coa on display above the bar
Having secured the ultimate accolade for a drinks venue in Asia, the bartender reminisces about the bar’s origin. “I always wanted to open a bar, but I just didn’t know when that would ever happen,” he recalls. “So I just started writing a note on my phone with all the bullet points of what my dream bar was, until the day I had the resources to open.”
When Coa started, Khan struggled to get people interested in his concept, which was novel in Hong Kong. “Agave spirits are a very niche concept, and they’re not something you hear and get excited about right away,” he says. “It takes a little bit of convincing to try them. But we’re lucky that our bar is very small and that allows us to talk to guests, engage with them and have them try new things.”
This style of informal conversation with the patrons has become a signature at Coa, which prides itself on promoting agave spirits education. Drinkers at the bar may be treated to concoctions such as La Paloma de Oaxaca, with tequila blanco, mezcal joven, lime, grapefruit soda and worm salt; or an Ancho Highball, combining tequila blanco, salted plum, ancho chile and guava soda.
Coa's cocktail Bloody Beef Maria
With Coa having retained the No.1 position on Asia’s 50 Best Bars for two years in a row – a feat previously only achieved by Singapore’s Manhattan in 2017 and 2018 – Khan addresses the question on everyone’s lips: what’s the secret to the bar’s success? “On a day-to-day basis, we want to make sure that we execute all the basics well and we want to make sure that the guests leave even happier than when they walked in. Our main focus is basically to make sure that we take care of our guests,” he highlights.
Khan is now applying the philosophy that led him to success at his latest venue: Coa Shanghai, which opened in February 2022. Although the bar is currently closed due to a local lockdown, the Hongkonger is extremely excited about his new place. “It’s a different layout, separated into three floors,” he explains. “On the ground floor is a cantina, a place where people hang out, and the main bar is also there. On the first floor there is a lounge area where people can sit down, with a small terrace. And then on the top floor is a communal table with a small bar for mezcal tasting.”
As he heads off to celebrate with his team, Khan shares a series of heartfelt thank yous. “I would like to thank my family, because I had to sacrifice a lot of time away from them and without their support, I would not be here today. Thanks to the team working in Hong Kong, because the bar will be slammed tonight. And thanks to 50 Best, because I really appreciate that we were finally able to celebrate together under one roof – it’s been too long that we were all disconnected, so thank you for giving us this moment.”
The list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022, sponsored by Perrier, was announced on Thursday, 28th April at a live awards ceremony in Bangkok. To stay up to date with all news and announcements, browse the website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
