The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and WORLD CLASS, the luxury collection of spirits from Diageo RESERVE, are opening a pop-up bar. The Shell at MO Bar will be made-over to recreate PDT (Please Don’t Tell), the legendary New York speakeasy named World’s Best Bar at Tales of the Cocktail in 2009, and again in 2011 by The World’s Top 50 Best Bars poll, which recognizes them as their All-Time Achiever. PDT HK, the pop-up at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong will be open from Jan. 5-30, 2016.
Guests will enter PDT HK through a hidden entrance in a phone booth upstairs at MO Bar, and once inside, they will find a space that faithfully recreates the look and feel of the New York original. Jim Meehan, bartender, founder of PDT, author of the PDT Cocktail Book; Jeff Bell, current General Manager of PDT and WORLD CLASS USA Bartender of the Year 2013, and veteran PDT bartender Nick Brown, will be behind the bar crafting cocktails.
Liaising with the PDT team at the hotel is Chef Richard Ekkebus, Director of Culinary Operations & Food and Beverage at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.
“We couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to join Chef Richard Ekkebus and his team to bring PDT to the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong with WORLD CLASS and the Diageo Reserve portfolio for the month of January. It’s been seven years since my last visit to Hong Kong,” said Jim Meehan, founder of PDT, “A month allows us time to get to know MO Bar’s faithful regulars and learn as much as we share with the hotel’s world-class staff.”
PDT’s food and beverage offerings reflect the diversity of New York City’s East Village and the Northeastern United States at large. In Hong Kong, recipes will be adapted according to the wealth of ingredients available to provide a distinctive, world-class experience for guests of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.
Inspired by similar collaborations in the culinary world, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and WORLD CLASS hope PDT HK will promote high-end international cocktail culture.
Martin Newell, Brand Manager for Diageo RESERVE in Hong Kong, said, “WORLD CLASS is on mission to inspire people to drink better. Supported by the world’s biggest bartender competition, WORLD CLASS aims to elevate the drinking experience of consumers by training and inspiring bartenders around the world and working together with bars, restaurants and hotels to elevate and foster a fine drinking cocktail culture. By bringing PDT, one of the world’s best bars and home to some of the world’s best bartenders to Hong Kong, we are giving local bartenders and consumers alike an opportunity to experience a truly unique drinking experience.”
PDT HK will offer an exclusive menu of 12 cocktails, featuring a mix of PDT classics and new creations crafted especially for Hong Kong. The menu will include the ‘Benton’s Old Fashioned’ prepared with Benton’s bacon infused Bulleit Bourbon, bitters and maple syrup; the ‘Cardinal,’ a refreshing aperitif mixed with Tanqueray No. TEN gin, Casoni aperitivo, Italian sweet vermouth and a splash of grapefruit and lemon juice, and the ‘1-2 Punch,’ a Singleton of Glen Ord-based Shandy with lemon & grapefruit juice, citrus oleo-saccharum and crisp local lager.
Concealed behind a vintage phone booth in an East Village hot dog stand, PDT is a beloved industry hangout of renowned chefs including Daniel Humm, David Chang and Wylie Dufresne, who have all created hot dogs for the speakeasy’s exclusive menu. The concept is being imported to PDT HK, where Hong Kong’s most creative chefs were asked to invent their own hot dogs for the menu, with proceeds from each hot dog sale going to charity.
Hong Kong chefs inventing hot dogs for PDT HK include Matt Abergel, head chef/owner of Yardbird, who will create a hot dog using his extensive repertoire of Japanese cooking techniques. Jowett Yu, Taiwanese-born chef of the Chinese restaurant, Ho Lee Fook, will design a hot dog with his inventive approach to Chinese flavors. Alvin Leung, chef at Three Michelin-starred BO Innovation, will create the demon dog to challenge diners’ expectations. Chef Richard Ekkebus will create the only western style hot dog (The Frenchie).
Richard Ekkebus said, “Jim was the first bartender invited to the hotel seven years ago when we started the series, Masters of Mixology. We are excited to bring him back, along with Jeff and Nick, to recreate their surroundings at PDT here at MO Bar. In order to maintain the food component of Crif Dogs, some of the most exciting Hong Kong celebrity chefs have been invited to create their favorite gourmet hot dog toppings which will give the hot dog an exciting Hong Kong twist, whilst supporting a great cause.”
PDT HK hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 5 p.m.
For reservations please contact MO Bar by phone: +852 2132 0077 or email lmhkg-mobar@mohg.com.
Overseas guests interested in joining this one-of-a-kind pop-up event can take advantage of the hotel’s latest Your New Pied-a-terre in the heart of Central room package, which includes round-trip limousine transfers, accommodation in new L600 or 900 series guestrooms and suites, breakfast, spa experience, mini bar, lunch at Amber and more. For details please visit www.mandarinoriental.com/landmark. For room reservations please call +852 2132 0088 or email lmhkg-reservations@mohg.com
