Being cool at the bar with coconut water

Antonio Lai says a chic cocktail cna be healthy, too. Photos provided to China Daily

You've seen all those ads. Practically every holiday destination features some bikini-clad babe with a fresh, teeny umbrella-embellished coconut in hand. Coconut water is synonymous with summer, vacations and tropical paradise.

To capitalize on these long and lazy days of necessary hydration in the heat of the night, Hong Kong mixologist extraordinaire Antonio Lai shows that this water can also be a healthy basis for a chic cocktail.

Partnering with Jax Coco, the coconut-water brand founded in Hong Kong by Jane and Max Gottschalk alongside Alex and Jason Ing, Lai has created two "jaxtails" for Ori-gin and two for Quinary, the Central bars where he splits his time.

He also designed a DIY Quinary special for August: a platter featuring all the raw ingredients you need to make your own Jax Coconut Caviar cocktail.

As evident in the sign on the door, Ori-gin is a watering hole dedicated to gin. Its specialties include gin-based drinks and 12 homemade flavors that are infused into its gin.

Quinary is where Lai lets his molecular skills shine with a large menu of imaginative cocktails, including a version of the Earl Grey tea tipple that first put him on the nightlife map.

Both are managed by Charlene Dawes, whose Tasting Group also operates Tastings Wine Bar and Angel's Share in Hong Kong.