Whether you’re hosting happy hour for colleagues or inviting friends over for an after-work tipple, casual drinks night is a great time to explore something new. 

A low-stakes, fun environment allows you to explore your curiosity and give your palate an adventure with spirits you’ve never tried before. For example, your next party can go from night to day with Ki No Tea Kyoto Gin, the innovative result of a collaboration between Ki no Bi and noted tea-grower Horii-Shichimeien. With some tonic water, you’ll have yourself the ultimate refreshing sipper – perfect for summer! 

Not the type to walk on the wild side? Choose crowd-pleasing, budget-friendly staples that will lead to a smile with every sip. It’s also good to go for wines that are easy to drink, with no need to decant so you have more time for fun. Cecilia recommends the Domaine Denizot Sancerre Blanc 2020 – a zesty, ready-to-drink white with sea breeze aromatics and tangy citrus flavours that allows you to enjoy a more subtle style of Sauvignon Blanc.

Enjoy a decadent date night with a sweet drink for your sweetheart. You can pair it with dessert or even replace dessert with indulgent drinks, like the 30-year-old Tawny Port from W&J Graham’s. It’s rich with dried nutty, honey and fruity flavours and pairs well with dessert. You can even skip dessert and drink it on its own to round up your romantic night with a long finish.

For a more classic evening, unwind with a complex, renowned Bordeaux red wine. As the night goes on, you’ll get more and more flavours from the wine as it continues to breathe. Cecilia’s pick? The Château Lynch-Bages 2017 Bordeaux, a robust, tannic red that hails from the picturesque hills of Pauillac, France.

Families often get together to share a decadent seafood meal. Seafood’s perfect wine match is Chablis, due to its high mineral content, fruit notes and great acidity. It’s especially delicious with oysters.

Cecilia’s pick for a gorgeous 2020 Chablis hails from Jean-Marc Brocard, a French family estate run by ecologically-minded growers. Each grape is grown on 100 hectares of biodynamic and organic farmland. We all care about organic food – why not share organic wine with the whole family?

The sound of a wine cork popping is the soundtrack to many of life’s happiest moments. Opening a bottle of wine is the cue for the party to begin, but choosing the right one can be a challenge. 

You can treat your guests to a luxury experience with an exceptional red like the 2016 Château Talbot St. Julien Bordeaux. 2016 was an excellent year for Bordeaux, and this is one of Château Talbot’s best vintages., 

A special celebration deserves a special bottle of sake. Raifuku’s Junmai Daiginjo Ultra 8 sake has an ultra-rare 8% rice polishing ratio, which means that 92% of the rice surface has been polished away. Not many sake breweries have the technology and skills to achieve such a small rice polishing ratio.

Whisky and cognac are two of the most popular after-dinner drinks, and they give you a delicious excuse to stick around for more pleasant company and great conversation. 

To get the classic nightcap experience, Cecilia recommends two iconic favourites. The Glenfarclas 30 Year Old single malt scotch whisky offers a complex journey for the palate that reminds us of the beauty of aging. 

To give your after-meal dram a little extra “something,” try the Martell Chanteloup XXO. Level up from XO and unwind with an XXO to enjoy the layers of flavours that only an aged cognac has to offer.

With Cecilia’s advice under your belt, you can find all the best wines and spirits for your next event! Head to Cathay.com/shop to explore the options and earn up to HKD5=1 mile along the way. Plus, enjoy up to 30% cash off the wines of your choice when you shop online until 13 Aug.