When some bars launch, it’s very clear from opening night that they have superstar quality. After debuting with the Highest New Entry Award in 2019 and following with Coa’s owner-bartender Jay Khan winning the Bartenders’ Bartender Award in 2020, it’s been apparent since day one that Coa boasts that something special. Last year, Khan’s Coa accomplished a feat unmatched in the history of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, as it became the first-ever bar to be thrice-awarded the coveted No.1 position.

Named after the machete-like tool used for harvesting agave – the plant from which both mezcal and tequila are distilled – Coa pays homage to a range of agave-based spirits, offering the city’s largest collection, clocking in at roughly 200 bottles. Khan has visited every distillery on this list, so all pours come with a side-serve of his own liquid history.

In 2020, Khan and the Coa team launched Mezcal Mission, which donates all money raised from education-based tequila tastings to a local homeless charity; one of a number of initiatives the team conjured up to support its local community throughout the pandemic. Then in 2022, he took his concept a step further by opening Coa Shanghai, a natural extension of the brand in China mainland, followed by an entirely new concept, The Savory Project in Hong Kong in May of 2023.

READ MORE: Temple to the Agave Gods – Coa Shanghai is Back!

Within the candle-lit, industrial-style space, spirit enthusiasts pop in for rare-varietal mezcal and other unsung agave-based liquors, plus signature cocktails, such as the grapefruit-spiked mezcal and tequila blend, La Paloma de Oaxaca – the only cocktail that has been on the list since the bar opened. Other newer creations, such as the Bitter Melon Collins sees an equal parts refreshing and robust blend of white bitter melon shaken with rum, tequila, and coconut, augmented by Thai green curry botanicals, blood orange, and elderflower tonic. By regularly rotating the menu, Khan continues to expand his unfettered love for agave, all in the name of preserving the craftsmanship of this Mexican cultural relic’s legacy.

READ MORE: A Sit-Down with Jay Khan: Owner of Coa, Asia's No. 1 Bar

Coa, 6-10 Shin Hing Street, Central, Hong Kong

This article was originally written for and published on the Asia's 50 Best Bars website here.