Sip and Order: Saan Dhakal Talks Courtroom and Cocktails
Courtroom is a playful new addition to Central’s bar scene. Located high on Graham Street, the bar is fitted out like a law court, with witness stands, judges’ benches, and a statue of Lady Justice cheekily clutching a martini glass.
You don’t have to be a legal eagle to enjoy the references to life in the law courts around the bar. Cocktails are presented on a case file menu, and framed pictures of infamous celebrity court cases line the walls.
Co-founder Saan Dhakal, (previously the creative beverage director at Penicillin) has clearly enjoyed designing the new venue and fully embraces the legal theme. While the bar’s décor has a serious courtroom vibe, Saan explained the swinging monkey on the bar’s logo points to mischief and irreverence. He noted this duality of seriousness and fun is a characteristic of all good bartenders, “If you find me at 1 PM I will be the most serious guy. Serious about the business, the cocktail, and the concept, but after 7 PM you’ll find we are very funny, charismatic, talking too much."
Courtroom has been open for around 6 months and is steadily building a committed following of post-work drinkers and the late-night crowd. The bar is the result of a partnership between Saan and his ‘partner in crime’ Ranjeet Khatri, former bar manager at Tell Camellia. It’s been a labor of love, which is reaping benefits.
“The journey was not easy, but it also wasn’t a huge struggle. We're happy about where we are,” Saan said.
Saan is keen to avoid comparisons with his previous bar Penicillin.
“There’s nothing wrong with comparing, but I didn't want people comparing me with my first place,” he explained. “So I was very mindful about the whole concept of the bar and the drink menu. This is not your everyday bar. It’s all about the experience and the flavor profile."
And the evidence adds up. The judicial aesthetic and eclectic range of law-themed cocktails make every night at Courtroom highly unique and memorable. Their latest menu, the Cocktail Casefiles includes the gin and beetroot-based Alimony (HK$120) and Conditional Discharge (HK $120), an intriguing mix of distilled pizza dough tequila with notes of tomato and basil, Parmigiano Reggiano distillate and spicy salami distillate.
For rum lovers, there’s the Lis Pendens (HK$120), made with wasabi rum, and Sworn Affidavit (HK$120), featuring orange rum with homemade buttercream, hazelnut eau de vie, cheese coffee liqueur, and Ratafia Rossi vermouth. Alcohol-free options include fruity mocktails, Kombucha, and 0% Rose or White Wine.
The cocktails have a colorful, creative flair, which are testament to the love and attention that’s been poured into the Courtroom concept. Many of the ingredients are freshly made in the bar’s own underground kitchen-laboratory, which resembles a mad scientist's playground, equipped with a sous vide machine, rotovap, and beakers. Saan stressed he enjoys the creative process but is happy to follow customers' tastes, “Sometimes the ordinary person is more of a genius than the creative person. If people love a cocktail and everyone is talking about it, then I don’t want to change it anymore.”
A self-confessed Martini-Man, Saan experimented with various ingredients and techniques before finally coming up with Courtroom’s signature drink, The Alimony. This is a cheeky twist on the classic martini, mixing mustard root-infused gin with beetroot distillate and a touch of rose petal vinegar.
If it’s been a long day, a selection of tasty bar snacks will hit the spot. Options include fried cheese sticks and chicken croquettes with truffle mayo, attractively presented bites that will tide you over to the next cocktail.
With F&B's long hours and upside-down work mode – where a shift often kicks off when most people are heading home – it can really take its toll. Saan and Ranjeet decided to tackle this issue by partnering with Positive Wellbeing HK to run a mental health workshop for members of the F&B community on World Mental Health Day.
“We talked about how to deal with stress and achieve a work-life balance. It’s not just about giving to a charity, it's also looking after people, our community,” Saan said.
Issues of sustainability weave in and out of the conversation, emphasizing the crucial role that a courtroom plays in society. Saan is particularly interested in social sustainability and finding ways to form charitable partnerships with local NGOs. 80% of proceeds from the mocktail “Not That High” are donated to the NGO Refugee Union, a local organization empowering refugees and asylum seekers.
If charity starts at home, Saan insisted the most important aspect of Courtroom is the creation of a safe space, “It's not about money; we want everybody who enters the bar to feel like they are family. It’s a place where you can sit down talk and feel safe. That's the culture for us at Courtroom. The concept, everything – it’s all about the people.”
For more information on Courtroom, visit them on Instagram.
Location: Courtroom, 52-54 Graham Street, Central
Opening Hours: Mondays to Sundays from 6 PM to 2 AM
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