When we checked into Zuma one Friday evening, seats by the bar were full, and we were left with nothing but options standing up or at a common table. (Ahem, reserve in advance!) We had heard rumours of the new Bushido Cocktails Menu, and wanted to try a couple before heading to Gui Boratto’s set downstairs at Mo Bar. However, to our surprise there was no whisper of the new cocktails on the regular bar menu.

Upon asking the server for the bushido cocktails, he immediately came back with a thick wooden scroll in hand. Apparently the menu was still on its soft opening that night, and we were one of the first to try it. We unrolled the themed menu and perused the selection; each drink was named after a historical figure, and accompanied with a visual of its warrior’s mask.

We decided to taste the Honda Negroni first, named in honour of Honda Tadakatsu who was said to have never been wounded in battle. The mix blends tanqueray gin, umeshu (fruity liquor), campari, mancino rosso, shiso (mint) and clay.

“The clay reduces the bitterness and gives a dry sensation to the palate,” says Bar Development Manager Arkadiusz Rybak, who we later interviewed. “Clay is also very good for your health, just one spoon is packed full of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. Historians have found that primitive people carried a ball of clay with them in their packs as it was a natural medicine used for fighting stomach ailments, dysentery and food poisoning.”

Rybak, originally from Poland, is the mastermind behind the Bushido Cocktails Menu. “I was inspired by the samurai,” he says. “I really wanted to teach people about these famous figures from Japanese history through my new menu. Many people are aware of samurais but don’t know much about them, like the fact that there were female samurais.”

Indeed, the menu celebrates the life stories of three female martial artists called onna-bugeisha, fighters who belonged to the Japanese nobility and engaged in battle alongside their male counterparts. They were part of feudal Japan’s bushi class, while the name bushido references to the code of honour they followed.

The second drink we tried was the Takeko Daiquiri, named after Nakano Takeko, former leader of an ad hoc corps of female combatants. Upon being wounded, she asked her sister to cut off her head and bury it rather than have it captured and made a trophy. The Takeko is a crowd favourite and an outlier for its texture, a thicker potion of Zacapa 23 (rum), yuzu, house orgeat (almond syrup) and white chocolate snow. It could double as both dessert and aperitif, poured from a ceramic jar.

“We worked with three Japanese artisans,” says Rybak, who helped Zuma rank 24th in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2017. “We’ve managed to present each of the drinks in a unique and beautiful way. Ultimately the experience is really important, so to add a little bit of drama and excitement we also used liquid nitrogen in some of the drinks.”

It’s not often you get Japanese style cocktails in the 852 (Read: Japanese with a view), but when you do get them, you’re in for flavours you wouldn’t normally taste in any other speakeasy. Sakura (cherry blossom), tonka bean, Hokkaido soft cheese and plum are just a few touches that set the Bushido cocktails apart.

“Japanese flavours and rare ingredients make our menu very unique,” says Rybak. “They are a combination of traditional Japanese flavours and more unusual flavours that are often a surprise to our guests, such as clay, leather, and different kinds of smoky aromas taken from roasted rice or burnt eggplant.”

The cocktail scene in Hong Kong looks to be on the rise, and Zuma is obviously not one to be left behind. Whether you’re a spirits enthusiast or not, the stories behind each serving are definitely conversation starters as well as reading material to keep you entertained whilst waiting for the mixologist’s next masterpiece.

Zuma, The Landmark, Level 5 & 6, 15 Queen’s Road, Central. 3657 6388. info@zumarestaurant.com.hk. www.zumarestaurant.com

Text: Julienne C. Raboca