The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong has unveiled “The Art of Shibumi,” a visionary new cocktail menu created by its acclaimed Bar Manager Stefano Bussi, recently named Bartender of the Year for Hong Kong and Macau at the Diageo World Class 2024.

Inspired by shibumi, a Japanese philosophy representing effortless beauty and depth beneath simplicity, the new menu invites guests to explore elegance, complexity, and quiet experimentation.

“Shibumi captures everything I love about cocktails,” said Bussi. “It’s not about what’s loud or showy, it’s about what reveals itself slowly. Every detail, every flavour, is considered and deliberate, but nothing is overworked.”

Departing from the traditional way of categorising drinks by spirit or technique, “The Art of Shibumi” is divided into four stylistic categories — Elegant, Refined, Imperfect, and Balanced — each offering a distinct lens to experience a theme that values balance, restraint, and creative clarity, without hierarchy or progression.

The Art of Shibumi: Exploring the Categories

• Elegant: focusing on clarity and precision, these drinks are light, clean, and quietly expressive, often featuring floral and crisp notes. Examples include: Hanakotoba, a delicate low ABV martini made with Daiyame Imo shochu, Nikka Coffey Gin, Sakura, and jasmine; Yūga, a graceful vodka sour with Hassaku Rocks, strawberry, and tarragon; Kanso Martini, using Roku Gin, umeshu, and pickled oolong grape; and Yohaku Negroni, a reinterpretation of the classic with bourbon, shochu, and cocoa-seasoned glassware.

• Refined: building on the clarity of Elegant, but more layered and experimental. Highlights include Start Here, a tequila-based cocktail with seasonal fruit shrub and dill; Chinmoku, a clarified milk punch with sake, green apple, and nori; Seijaku Spritz, a low ABV cocktail with Mancino Bianco Ambrato Vermouth, Blanc de Blancs, mango, and brown butter; and Shizen Sour, made with whisky, brandy, pistachio, caramel, and miso, garnished with Togarashi dust.

• Imperfect: inspired by the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, these cocktails embrace contrast, texture, and asymmetry. Highlights include the Wa-Bi-Sa Negroni, made with banana, wasabi, and cachaça; Kage No, a take on the espresso martini with dandelion, burdock root, and coffee husk; Fukinsei, an off-balance and vibrant cocktail with olive, citrus, and brown butter; The Flawed Martini, incorporating leftover Wagyu oil, peanut butter, and oyster leaf; and the Shibumi, mixing Los Siete MisteriorMezcal, yuzu, cinnamon, dry wine, oregano, and elderflower.
• Balanced: zero-proof interpretations of one cocktail from the other sections.

The menu also includes a trio of highballs that echo the philosophy of the three stylistic sections: Utsukushi, an earthy, mineral blend of cacao husk, dark rum, and Kokuto Shochu; Mio Highball, a floral, expressive profile made with Johnnie Walker Blue Label, guava, and Moscato; and Nihonjin, a bold, avant-garde approach that layers Japanese whisky, awamori, matcha, tomato, and sesame.

Beyond the cocktails, the printed menu reflects Japanese craftsmanship. Hand-stitched with traditional Japanese binding techniques, textured paper, hand-drawn icons, and delicate gold brushwork, it is designed as an extension of the shibumi philosophy. “Every element plays a part,” says Bussi. “The experience starts before the first sip.”

With “The Art of Shibumi,” The Aubrey positions itself at the forefront of Hong Kong’s drinking culture, where restraint, balance, and creative clarity find a place in modern mixology.

For more information and updates, visit The Aubrey’s website here, and follow their Instagram. Reservations are available here.