Cover Inside the new space (Photo: courtesy of Lips Cocktails & Theatre)
Inside the new space (Photo: courtesy of Lips Cocktails & Theatre)
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Grand Hyatt’s new watering hole, located where the much-loved former nightclub once stood, wants to give guests a theatrical experience via imaginative drinks and entertainment
Since the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s much-loved Club JJ shuttered in 2009 after 20 years in operation, the space has seen several transformations. In April, the top floor space of the former nightclub became home to Lips Cocktails & Theatre.
The brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Nicole and Benoit Lavaud, Lips Cocktails & Theatre is more than just a nightclub: it will seamlessly blend elevated cocktail craftsmanship with immersive entertainment, say the couple. Alongside drinks and bar bites, expect magic shows and live performances, against a backdrop of digital art videos, which are displayed on the ceiling.
The Lavauds began running Maison Rouge, an event concept that offers festive dinners and live entertainment, in the space—which sits atop the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse—in 2022.
And now, they’re expanding it into a permanent concept with Lips Cocktails & Theatre. “Lips are the first part of you that experiences a drink,” says Benoit Lavaud. Each cocktail at the bar “comes with an action, a story or an act—like a small theatre in front of your eyes”.
Read more: Here’s why immersive theatre is taking the Hong Kong arts and restaurant scenes by storm
Above Nicole and Benoit Lavaud (Photo: courtesy of Lips Cocktails & Theatre)
Nicole and Benoit Lavaud (Photo: courtesy of Lips Cocktails & Theatre)
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Catch Me If You Can, one of the bar’s signature drinks, calls for guests to catch a berry-flavoured floating bubble in the air with their glass; the drink consists of amaretto, lemon, angostura bitters, egg white, blueberries and açai berries. Spicy Blue, made of Belvedere vodka, the blue Spirulina algae and Thai red chili, is served with a live flame—guests can put it out with a small extinguisher. Morning Mist, with Hendricks Gin, lemon, cucumber and basil, comes with a cloud of mist; it sits atop a bowl with moss.
Above Catch Me If You Can (Photo: courtesy of Lips Cocktails & Theatre)
Above Morning Mist (Photo: courtesy of Lips Cocktails & Theatre)
Catch Me If You Can (Photo: courtesy of Lips Cocktails & Theatre)
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Benoit Lavaud, formerly a L’Oréal executive, left corporate life to follow pursue his passions for music. In 2005, he founded Blacklist Tokyo, a private members' events organisation, and in 2022, he established Bureau Wow, an F&B consulting firm that advises hotels, bars and restaurants on guest experience and retail design. Nicole Lavaud was a wedding and events planner for celebrities.
Above Magician Matthew Owen Kok Performs at Lips (Photo: courtesy of Lips Cocktails & Theatre)
Magician Matthew Owen Kok Performs at Lips (Photo: courtesy of Lips Cocktails & Theatre)
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They tease that they have lined up collaborations with a variety of artists, and that it’s their vision to set up the space as a diverse arts platform showcasing “artistic expressions in all forms”, says Benoit Lavaud.
“From writers sharing their works through stage readings to dancers, performers, graffiti artists and musicians, our stage welcomes creatives of every type.”
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
