The newly launched Volume 7 at ARTIFACT refines the Hong Kong bar’s signature narrative-driven approach into a more structured exploration of how land, sea and human craft converge in the glass.
At ARTIFACT — the Hong Kong underground cocktail speakeasy headed by lauded industry veterans Beckaly Franks and Ezra Star — menus have never been mere lists of drinks. Instead they function as abstract narrative devices that explore the “profound dialogue between land, sea, and the human craft”. The bar recently marked its third anniversary by launching its newest menu, Volume 7, following the same ethos.
Where earlier chapters can be seen as overtly conceptual, the latest comes more structured with four separate chapters that move from cultivated terrain (Tamed Earth) through wilderness (Wild Frontier), to coastal influence (Littoral Influence), before arriving at the transformative touch of human intervention (Artisan’s Craft). It is, in effect, a journey from origin to interpretation, one that mirrors the lifecycle of the very spirits and wines that underpin the bar’s programme.
At the centre of this narrative sits a collaboration with Valdespino — one of Jerez’s oldest sherry producers — and The Macallan, the luxury Scotch single malt house that needs little introduction. The partnership is deliberate. If Valdespino represents a living archive of land and tradition — its wines shaped by albariza soils, vineyard specificity, and the slow alchemy of flor — then The Macallan embodies the precision of maturation and cask-driven craft. Together, they form a dialogue between nature and human refinement.
Expect concoctions such as Noon on the Macharnudo, which sees fino drawn from one of Jerez’s grand crus stretched into a highball, its saline edge sharpened by guava and lemongrass, while Vestido Rojo channels Andalusian culinary vernacular, folding fino into a savoury, tomato-led construction that reads like liquid tapa.
Similarly, the Palomino Gold combines Valdespino Amontillado with The Macallan 12 Year Double Cask, along with apple and sage, for a layered sip.
Other drinks lean into the idea of transformation. Lover Boy, or ‘El Peti’, softens the nutty heft of oloroso with moscatel and yoghurt whey, a subtle nod to fermentation and reinterpretation, while Guernica (Pedro Ximénez, mezcal, and rum) brings contrast, evoking both the darkness of raisinated fruit and the disruptive force of smoke. The reference to Pablo Picasso is not incidental; the menu’s visual direction draws from Synthetic Cubism, reinforcing the idea of fragmentation and reassembly as a creative act.
Taken as a whole, Volume 7 like a complex systems map, cocktail-style — one tracing how ingredients move from earth to glass, shaped along the way by geography, climate, and technique.
ARTIFACT
Address LG/F, No 1 & 2, Shop 5 & 7, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Pl, Central, Hong Kong (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 5pm to 12am Tuesdays to Thursdays; 5pm to 1am Fridays and Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays
Tel (852) 6468 8762
Web www.artifactbar.com
Facebook ArtifactHongKong
Instagram @artifact_bar
Follow us on Telegram to get updated on events and other spirited announcements!
