Singapore Drinks in Beijing for a Night: 28 HongKong Street Founder Michael Callahan Comes to Union
Known as the founder of Singapore bar 28 HongKong Street, which is ranked #23 on the Asia's 50 Best Bars list as of 2023, Hawaiian native Michael Callahan got his start as a bartender in the late '90s in New York, moving from there to San Francisco before moving to Southeast Asia in 2011 to start the now legendary 28 HKS.
Since 2011, though, Callahan has expanded his horizons, opening a spirits import business, Proof & Company, closely tied to 28 HKS before opening another successful Singapore bar, Barbary Coast. Mainly working in industry consulting now, Callahan is on a five day tour of China to provide master classes and serve up a menu of inspiring cocktails across China, starting off in Beijing, where he'll be doing a guest shift for one night only (Aug 7), at Union at the Opposite House.
We caught up with Callahan on the day of said guest shift, to find out more about his Beijing visit, his thoughts on bartending, and more about his many business ventures.
Welcome to Beijing! Is this your first visit here or is it a return trip?
I first came to Beijing in 2019 for a day, and it was really fun! We met up with Jamie He, who was working for East Imperial at the time. We went on a trip to the Great Wall and mixed up some gin and tonics – we brought all the ingredients, glassware. All kinds of people were watching. It was really fun. We also did a guest shift there.
This is my first time back since and that was my first time in Beijing. When I tour around China I usually do stops in Chengdu, Chongqing, and Shanghai, so I’ve always wanted to come back and explore Beijing.
Along with 28 HKS, you’re also behind another Singapore bar, Barbary Coast, and spirits importer Proof & Company. Can you tell us a bit more about these other ventures and where they are today?
I moved to Asia to open 28 HKS in 2011, and it’s doing really well now. Honestly, I have a lot of pride and respect for what they’re doing. Proof & Company is also growing global, with spirits being used by companies as large as Pernod Ricard. It’s been very prolific in the Singapore market; almost all the bars use the ecospirit market. Both were very small when we opened, just less than six people. Now 28 HKS is 12 years old this year, and Proof has offices all around the world.
So I often say Proof was born out of 28 HKS, and I mean it. What happened was we were already bringing in all the spirits that make 28 HKS unique because we figured out the importation. We knew that Singapore needed better ingredients than what we were getting. In doing so, we realized what Singapore (and Southeast Asia as a whole) bartenders needed was more product. A bartender, like an artist, needs more colors to paint with.
Yes you can do amazing things with primary colors. Yes you can do amazing cocktails with just the well spirits. But to really go beyond in order to become a world-class destination, you need more nuance. So we decided the best thing to do was to provide for everybody. So Proof & Company was born as a means to bring everything we were getting for 28 HKS to everybody. As the saying goes: “The rising tide raises all ships.” It worked. All of the bartenders in Singapore were able to get better products, and the scene exploded.
As for Barbary Coast, I had stepped away and was doing consulting and distribution with Proof for so long that I started to miss operations. So my business partner, Cecilia, and I got together and founded Barbary Coast. Interestingly enough, Barbary Coast is the name of the building, not the bar. Inside it’s split between two concepts, Deadfall and the Ballroom, which in turn have two separate identities. Deadfall is a coffee café during the day and a cocktail bar at night and the Ballroom has an early program and late program – totally different. So four different personalities, two spaces, one building. So it’s confusing to say Barbary Coast for all of these. It’s like China, with all its culture and diversity. Barbary is our baby. It’s so diverse and so much fun.
So you’re also doing bar and industry consulting, with a few master classes in store during your China trip. What does the work entail?
We used to start as beverage consultants, but over the years we’ve found mainly not enough specialized professionals on the design side. Compound Collective is our main company, and it’s a design firm. We do everything, from concept development to market analysis to all the design – be it interior design, structural design, custom equipment. We still do menus and training, but more and more specialty brands hire us to work on the concept side of things. So now we’re a full design firm.
You’ve been in the spirits industry for quite some time now, particularly in Singapore. How does the scene there compare to the scene in China in your opinion?
I first came in 2014 to China, and I’ve been coming regularly since. Covid prevented me from coming but now I’m back for five days and really eager to see what’s going on. People I know in China who work here or visit have told me the maturity of the market throughout greater China has been growing since coming out of Covid. Singapore has been very mature, it’s had great cocktail bars since 2011 and a bit before that. We have a long history of great cocktails. China has an underappreciated diversity of its scene. I’m excited to find out and I’ll have a more definitive answer for you in eight days!
What’s your philosophy with regard to bartending and craft cocktails?
Two things are important about a cocktail bar. The first is that the guest is always excited to come back because they feel there’s something more, like a good book. The guest is coming to watch the story unfold. Whether it be the maturation of the bartender, the changing of the menu or spirits on offer, you need to constantly have innovation and to constantly challenge and push yourselves. Second, the staff need to be constantly engaged as well. There needs to be a program in our industry that is focusing on making sure the staff has a journey of maturation as well. So if I go to a bar and there’s an experience for the guest but not for the staff, then I won’t go back. It’s important to have both those things.
Lastly, what sort of drinks will you be mixing up at Union tonight? Any personal favorites?
The strawberry drink is a favorite for sure, I have a weakness for strawberry drinks. We’ll also have a lot of drinks that look sweet but aren’t very sweet. All the drinks are fun. It’s very much in line with the Barbary Coast line of drinks making. Our creative director, Cecilia, is very adamant that process is only involved if it brings something to the table. You shouldn’t have a technique or process if it doesn’t add anything to the drink. If you need a load of apples but it doesn’t add anything to the drink, don’t use it.
We have a whole separate building from Barbary Coast that’s like our lab. It has all this equipment we use to make the ingredients we need to make good drinks. The thing is, we only talk about the process if our guest is interested. If not, we don’t mention it. At the end of the day, the important thing is that the drink is good, so you’re guaranteed a good drink tonight!
Michael Callahan's guest shift at Union will be hapening tonight (Mon, Aug 7) from 8pm to midnight. Entry is free but reservations are recommended. You can book a seat via the number in the poster above.
READ: Save the Date – The 1st CBD Craft Beer Fest is Coming!
Images: courtesy Barbary Coast (via Instagram @barbaryballroom) and the organizer
