Drink in Focus: Courtroom’s Habeas Corpus, ‘the best mushroom cocktail ever’?

The new bar offers boldly innovative cocktails named after legal terms, and Habeas Corpus is an example of the kind of libation that will either make or break it

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Courtroom’s Habeas Corpus may still be a work in progress, but it’s already creating a buzz. Photo: Handout

Published: 3:20pm, 4 Dec 2024

Make your way up Graham Street, past the tourists eagerly snapping pics in front of Alex Croft’s colourful town houses, and you’ll find one of Hong Kong’s newest cocktail bars – Courtroom.

Inside, a witness stand dominates the centre of the floor space, flush with dark wood and gilded accents such as a statuette of Lady Justice. Law and order dominate the concept down to the menu, which features drinks named after legal terms such as the Lis Pendens, Sworn Affidavit, Cause of Action and more.

Courtroom’s co-founders Saan Dhakal (left) and Ranjeet Khatri. Photo: Handout

Yet the approach to the drinks is anything but punitive. Inspired by the various legal dramas they watched during Covid-19 lockdowns, co-founders Saan Dhakal (formerly of Penicillin and Lockdown) and Ranjeet Khatri (Tell Camelia) reward guests willing to take the stand with experimental concoctions that spotlight – without grandstanding – techniques like redistillation, sous vide, clarification and more.

Right now, the bar is still in its soft opening phase and continuing to tweak recipes and service to perfection, but the Habeas Corpus stands out as an example of the kind of libation that will either make or break Courtroom. If you’re looking for a luscious clarified texture and a complex balance of umami (mushroom, peas) and vegetal notes (fenugreek, carbonated finish), it is the drink to quaff– especially as the cocktail is only expected to improve as Courtroom races towards its eventual grand opening.

Saan Dhakal prepares a cocktail at Courtroom. Photo: Handout

“The initial concept for Habeas Corpus was to create something multilayered using the one ingredient we have not seen in cocktails on the scene,” explains Dhakal, referring to fenugreek, a common ingredient used in the cuisine of his hometown in Nepal.

Here, the spice is redistilled with a “neutral spirit” in Courtroom’s R&D space. “All of the processes for this cocktail are done in our downstairs laboratory. It took weeks of R&D just to get the flavour to our liking,” says Dhakal.