Introducing the First Cocktail Menu by Jonathan Gabbay at ARGO Bar, Four Seasons Hong Kong
By Denny Kallivoka & Eleni Nikoloulia
At the beginning of January, we had the pleasure of visiting the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, one of the city’s most remarkable hospitality landmarks — a hotel that effortlessly combines elegance, precision and an unmistakable sense of place.ση ταυτότητας.
Our visit coincided with a very special evening: a Greek guest shift that brought together three celebrated bars from Athens — The Bar in Front of the Bar, Barro Negro and A for Athens — for a night dedicated to cocktails, friendship and shared hospitality culture.
During that visit, we also had the opportunity to spend time at ARGO, the hotel’s acclaimed cocktail bar, currently ranked No. 11 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025. The bar has recently entered a new chapter under the leadership of Jonathan Gabbay, Beverage Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, who has taken the helm of ARGO over the past six months.
For Gabbay, who speaks warmly about his love for Greece — its food, its conviviality and its way of bringing people together around a table — this new chapter also marks an important milestone: the launch of his first cocktail menu at ARGO.
ARGO Exploration: A Menu Inspired by Hong Kong
The new program, titled ARGO Exploration, reads like a love letter to Hong Kong — its makers, its ingredients and the people who shape its culture.
Rather than looking outward to global trends, the menu turns inward, focusing on local collaboration, craftsmanship and seasonality. The concept unfolds through twelve cocktails divided into two thematic chapters, each exploring a different aspect of the city’s identity.
According to Gabbay, the menu reflects the encounters and shared experiences of the ARGO team:
“This menu is a reflection of the encounters, passions, and shared experiences we’ve lived as a team, told through meaningful collaborations and the incredible products and craftsmanship Hong Kong has to offer.”
Nearly five years after ARGO first opened its doors, Exploration also celebrates the continuity of the team — many of whom have been part of the bar since its earliest days.
Local Encounters: Collaboration at the Heart of the Menu
The first chapter of the menu highlights collaborations with Hong Kong artisans, creators and neighbourhood institutions.
ARGO’s bartenders step beyond the bar to co-create cocktails with figures from across the city’s cultural landscape — from Chinese medicine practitioners to tattoo artists and contemporary visual artists.
Among the standout creations is Hong Kong Punch, a tribute to the city’s coffee and tea culture created in collaboration with Tai On Coffee & Tea. The drink combines Rémy Martin V.S.O.P, Iichiko Shochu and Magnolia Botanical Liqueur, topped with black tea and egg tart foam — served alongside a butter tartlet designed for scooping the foam.
Another playful creation is Morning Bite, ARGO’s interpretation of the Breakfast Martini, featuring No.3 London Dry Gin, Chardonnay and Strega herbal liqueur, complemented by a banana jam created with the agro-food brand LoCoFARMS.
For a more visually expressive experience, Dreamscape brings together fat-washed coconut tequila with hazelnut, coconut and tonka bean. The cocktail was developed in collaboration with Hong Kong artist Tam Mei Yi Amy, whose artwork also appears on the custom-painted coaster accompanying the drink.
Meanwhile, Classic X Classic pays tribute to Wan Chai tattoo artist Marcus Yuen of 59 Tattoo. Built around The Macallan 12, with amaro, ginseng and jasmine bitters, the drink carries both the structure of a classic and the visual storytelling of tattoo culture.
Seasonal Journeys: Cocktails Shaped by the Calendar
The second chapter of the menu shifts focus from people to the land.
Here, the cocktails explore seasonality and terroir, each drink anchored by ingredients that reflect what the region offers throughout the year.
Highlights include Rooty Slushy, a rum-based drink combining sweet potato, amaro, truffle honey and raspberry sorbet, finished with balsamic for balance.
The Pickled G&T reinterprets the classic highball with pickled kale, shochu and Riesling, delivering a bright, savoury expression.
And for lovers of spirit-forward drinks, the Herbal Boulevardier pairs Michter’s Bourbon with Fernet Hunter and Mancino Bianco Ambrato, slowly evolving in the glass as a Campari herbal ice sphere infused with roselle melts into the drink.
Timeless Passages: The Classics That Define ARGO
Alongside the new creations, the menu also honours the drinks that have shaped ARGO since its opening.
The Timeless Passages section features ten of the bar’s most beloved classics, including the signature ARGO Martini, crafted with the bar’s own gin developed in partnership with Australia’s Never Never Distilling Co.
The drinks are joined by a refreshed selection of bar bites, including Crispy Softshell Crab Open Maki and Iceberg Lettuce Roll with Drunken Chicken, designed for sharing and pairing with the cocktails.
With Exploration, Jonathan Gabbay and the ARGO team offer a menu that celebrates collaboration, craftsmanship and the ever-evolving spirit of Hong Kong — one cocktail at a time.
