When Hong Kong native and bartender Andrew Ho co-founded the speakeasy Hope & Sesame in Guangzhou, in China’s Guangdong province, in 2016, he saw the bar landscape in mainland China as more focused on trying to catch up with global trends than on honing hospitality and service. He sought to break that mould.
Break it he did. And after nine years of perseverance, his efforts have resulted in him receiving the 2025 Bartenders’ Bartender Award, the only category in the Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards voted for by bartenders from respected establishments.
“As a bartender, you always think [winning the award] is going to happen to someone else,” he says. “You really never think about it. I’m super surprised but also very happy that all the work we’ve done in the past 10 years has come to fruition.
“It’s important to be recognised by your peers, who are at the top of their game. I’m very honoured.”
