Hong Kong Art Month is getting a distinctly liquid and literary twist this March as Aberdeen Arts Row emerges as one of the city’s most compelling cultural corridors. Anchored by The Old Man and Dead Poets, the Aberdeen Street slope is hosting a month-long program that blends global mixology, visual art, and literary culture into a single, immersive experience.
At the heart of the program is The Icons Edit, a celebration of International Women’s Month that replaces one-night guest shifts with a full-month “hall of fame” approach. Throughout March, both venues are serving signature cocktails created by leading women from the global bar scene, many of them associated with The World’s 50 Best Bars family. At The Old Man, guests can explore drinks by Minakshi Singh of Sidecar and The Brook in India alongside Amanda Wan of Three X Co in Malaysia. Across the street at Dead Poets, cocktails by Kate Gerwin of Happy Accidents in New Mexico and Chanel Adams of the Bamboo Bar at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok take center stage, with the focus firmly on craft rather than theatrics.
Dead Poets also continues its Liquid Gallery series with Dead Painters, a menu that turns cocktails into artistic interpretations. Inspired by iconic figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Frida Kahlo, Edvard Munch, and Andy Warhol, the menu treats each drink as a canvas, translating artistic movements and personal histories into bold, visually driven flavor combinations. The result is a cocktail list that feels closer to an exhibition than a traditional bar menu.
Adding to the artistic exchange, Dead Poets will host a one-night guest shift on March 19 featuring Patrick Leyble from Problem Child. Known for its rebellious concept of rotating its entire space and menu around a single color every few months, the Manila bar brings its unconventional, color-driven aesthetic to Hong Kong for an evening that promises creative disruption.
Daytime culture also plays a role in the corridor’s programming. Dead Poets has introduced a CROSSIP 0% ABV boba tea series that bridges Hong Kong’s street-tea traditions with modern bar craft. Designed to move seamlessly from day to night, the drinks can be enjoyed alcohol-free or elevated with a choice of spirits, reflecting the growing demand for thoughtful low- and no-ABV offerings in serious bar environments.
Completing the cultural triangle, The Old Man has partnered with Gentle Books to introduce a curated selection of secondhand literature available directly at the bar. The collaboration launches with On Hemingway’s Shelf, a themed reading list inspired by the modernist era and the books Ernest Hemingway famously kept close, reinforcing the venue’s ongoing dialogue between cocktails, storytelling, and literary history.
Together, these activations position Aberdeen Arts Row as more than a collection of bars. Throughout March, it functions as a living platform where art, hospitality, and global bar culture intersect — offering one of Hong Kong Art Month’s most cohesive and original experiences.
