Bar "Mednye Truby" Goes on Tour to Hong Kong.

Bar "Mednye Truby" ("Brass Instruments") from Nizhny Novgorod, which took third place in the Where2Drink 2024 ranking, heads out on its first international tour on Friday, May 23. The team is going to Hong Kong to take part in a guest bartending stint at bar Dead Poets. That venue is known for its unusual concept: by day it operates as a barbershop, and by night it turns into an atmospheric cocktail spot.

Two key members of the team are heading to Hong Kong: Evgeny Bartenyev, owner of "Mednye Truby" and of gin brand Grey Shine, and Ivan Mamutov, head bartender and creative force behind that same brand. They'll be representing not just the Nizhny Novgorod bar, but also the signature approach to working with ingredients and flavors that's become the venue's calling card.

For the tour, the team selected three cocktails that started "Mednye Truby's" success story. The first is Cheesy Peasy — an interpretation of a sour with gorgonzola, elderflower liqueur, and jasmine added. In the cocktail, the creaminess of the cheese, floral shades, and a bright tartness come together, balanced so that they play each other up rather than overshadowing one another.

The second cocktail is the Southern Negroni. In it, they reimagined the classic recipe, adding notes of bergamot, blood orange, and capers. The result is a tart, multifaceted drink evoking southern European cuisine. Every ingredient nods to specific regional flavors, making the cocktail both recognizable and complex at once.

The third cocktail is English Garden, a drink inspired by the scents of English gardens. It contains blackberry, rosehip, mint, hazelnut, and Amontillado sherry. The cocktail is built on alternating bold and soft flavors, where the sherry adds body and the mint and berries bring freshness. It rounds out the trio of drinks the team is taking to Dead Poets to tell their own story.

For "Mednye Truby," the trip to Hong Kong is a step toward international recognition. And while the bar is well known in Russia, the team will now be able to introduce itself and its drinks to a new audience.