Kevin Lai, head mixologist at The St Regis Bar in Macau, is originally from Taiwan. Meng Shu, a glass artist and lecturer who is also based in the city, grew up in mainland China. Inspired by their current home, these two individuals recently combined their talents to create a cocktail and accompanying piece of glass art that represent what Macau means to them as expats \u2013 mirroring the way in which parts of the local cultural heritage were shaped over the years by people who came to the port city from around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first came to Macau, it felt a lot like a theme park,\u201d Lai says. \u201cEverywhere you go, around every corner, there\u2019s a different style \u2013 maybe European-style architecture, or something that feels like a castle. So it felt very fresh to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lai adds that while Macau is an ideal travel destination, \u201cat the same time, it has a strong sense of everyday life \u2013 a vibrant human warmth.\u201d The seaside locale also provided him with a sense of familiarity and belonging, having grown up on the island of Taiwan, surrounded by water.<\/p>\n
![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/10\/15\/c03374ad-83d2-46e1-869e-4bdd19afa919_53933fe2.jpg\" "\\"Kevin")
<\/div>For his cocktail creation, Lai chose to highlight the sea that has defined Macau\u2019s geography and history. \u201cBefore Macau was developed into what it is today, it was a fishing village,\u201d he explains. \u201cSo there were fishermen heading out to sea, riding the waves in small wooden boats, feeling the breeze and smelling the briny ocean air around the piers. I wanted to bring those flavour elements into my cocktail.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cocktail has a base of Talisker single malt Scotch whisky to add some smoky notes. \u201cI infused it with seaweed and added a touch of baijiu<\/em> [Chinese distilled spirit] to elevate its brightness,\u201d Lai says. \u201cThen I added ginger and gentian root to add warmth along with a bittersweet flavour profile. I also added a bit of saline solution to [further] enhance the brightness.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Since Meng first arrived in Macau in 2008, she has found it to be an inspiring place. \u201cComing to Macau \u2013 a city that is an island closely connected to the ocean \u2013 was a completely different experience and feeling for me. It sparked a lot of creativity and ideas in me. I would wonder: who came here and why?\u201d<\/p>\n For her part of the collaboration with Lai, Meng made a glass art piece in hues of blue, green and white, which resembles an island and provides a theatrical backdrop for the cocktail as it is served.<\/p>\n \u201cThe glass piece I made looks like an island, but no man is an island. Beneath the ocean, our continental shelves are all connected. Yet, individually, we must exist as islands,\u201d Meng says. \u201cEveryone has the right to seek their own \u2018welcome solitude\u2019 \u2013 a very positive state of being alone with oneself.\u201d<\/p>\n When Meng and Lai met at The St Regis Bar to unveil their creations, both were pleasantly surprised at how well the cocktail and art piece complemented each other \u2013 they connected despite the separate processes to make them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t even consult each other or know what the other was making \u2013 it\u2019s really amazing,\u201d Meng says.<\/p>\n \u201cNormally, when a bartender collaborates with a glass artist, the first thing anyone expects is to create a glass to hold the cocktail. But this time, [Meng] created a decorative sculpture \u2013 an artwork placed beside the glass,\u201d Lai says. \u201cThat was very fresh and novel to me. It [features] ocean elements like moss and wave textures, making it a wonderful complement alongside the cocktail.\u201d<\/p>\n Meng adds: \u201cCreating art with glass here inspires endless imagination for me. Just like at The St Regis Bar, where Kevin and I are together \u2013 through a piece of glass [art] and a glass [with a cocktail] \u2013 [we] come to understand who we are, where we came from, why we met at this very moment and where we might be heading next.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"While](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/10\/15\/98bfd9ee-4eb4-4e0c-a3f4-9050b36819ac_53933fe2.jpg\" "\\"While")
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