PENICILLIN, Hong Kong

MAY 27 I IN CHAMPIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY I BY ECOSPIRITS

CHAMPIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY

PENICILLIN is Asia Pacific’s first closed-loop cocktail bar, celebrating sustainability as the core element of the venue. Centrally located on Hollywood Road and set in a room of striking interior design, PENICILLIN produces only 20% of the waste of a traditional bar. A cure-all for whatever is ailing you, PENICILLIN Hong Kong gets its name from the modern classic cocktail created by bartender Sam Ross, made with a blend of two Scotches, ginger, honey, and lemon, and the antibiotic which gave the cocktail its name. Home to an ambitious beverage program, PENICILLIN boasts an onsite laboratory with temperature-controlled fermentation room and state-of-the-art culinary equipment, including a rotovap, centrifuge, and ultrasonic homogenizer to deliver a seasonal cocktail menu made with locally sourced, upcycled, and recycled ingredients.

PENICILLIN x ecoSPIRITS Video

The team

PENICILLIN is led by a talented team of four co-founders, including Agung Prabowo and Roman Ghale of The Old Man fame, and their partners Laura Prabowo and Katy Ghale.

Co-founders Agung Prabowo, Laura Prabowo, Roman Ghale and Katy Ghale

The team

PENICILLIN is led by a talented team of four co-founders, including Agung Prabowo and Roman Ghale of The Old Man fame, and their partners Laura Prabowo and Katy Ghale.

Co-founders Agung Prabowo, Laura Prabowo, Roman Ghale and Katy Ghale

"We are excited to be part of a business that helps people and the planet in a fun and sexy way. Having ancestors from Borneo, endangered rainforests and the communities that depend on them are close to my heart. The reforestation we do with ecoSPIRITS and Green Steps Group is a great way to give back."

Laura Prabowo, Co-Founder

“Spirits travel enormous distances to reach Hong Kong, and that carries a real environmental cost. Working with ecoSPIRITS lets us tackle that head on, cutting the carbon emissions and waste of our bar dramatically without compromising what's in the glass.”

Agung Prabowo, Co-Founder

"We are excited to be a part of a business that helps others and the planet in a fun and sexy way. Having ancestors from Borneo, that region and its people are close to my heart. The Kalimantan rainforest is one of the most endangered on the planet. The reforestation we are doing with ecoSPIRITS and Green Steps Group is a great way to give back."

Laura Prabowo, Co-Founder

“With the Penicillin cocktail as our feature serve, we had to tackle the environmental impact of Scotch whisky, which must travel more than 10,000 kilometres to get to Hong Kong. ecoSPIRITS and Mackintosh Blended Malt Whisky make this possible, reducing our carbon emissions and waste dramatically.”

Agung Prabowo, Co-Founder

SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP

Named on Asia’s 50 Best Bars every year since 2021 and winner of the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021, PENICILLIN has become one of the region’s most recognised sustainable bars. In 2026, the team expanded the concept with the opening of a second location in Shanghai. The venue incorporates a wide range of sustainable practices, including:

local

Local designer Betty Ng of design firm Collective made only minor changes to the existing bar layout, thereby minimising wasted material, and commissioned local artists to create artwork for the venue.

upcycled

Only reused and sustainable materials were used in the renovation, including recycled aluminium, reclaimed timber from trees felled by 2017's Typhoon Hato and old neon signs upcycled by local artisans.

organic

In the kitchen, the team uses local, organic ingredients wherever possible, partnering with local farms to plan seasonal food menus.

reduce

In the laboratory and fermentation room, the team uses leftover kitchen ingredients to make pickles, wines and shrubs, house-made hand sanitizers and cleansers.

handmade

Local arts and crafts are used for all products that are replaced frequently, including housemade coasters and signature glassware from a local potter.

biodegradable

Products harmful to the environment are eliminated wherever possible, including recycled paper products for the washroom and biodegradable potato starch straws.

handwashed

Team uniforms designed by Katy and Laura themselves are made from organic cotton and are handwashed.

glass waste

PENICILLIN has partnered with ecoSPIRITS on many of its spirits, dramatically reducing single use glass waste and carbon footprint.

“The response from our guests to our impact cocktails has been incredible. People love that ordering a drink can plant a tree or help clean up our oceans, and we're proud to be making a real difference alongside ecoSPIRITS and Green Steps Group.“

Roman Ghale, Co-Founder

“The response from our guests to our impact cocktails has been incredible. People love that ordering a drink can plant a tree or help clean up our oceans, and we're proud to be making a real difference alongside ecoSPIRITS and Green Steps Group.“

Roman Ghale, Co-Founder

THE PENICILLIN X ecoSPIRITS COLLABORATION

PENICILLIN’s commitment to closed-loop bartending extends to its signature serves, created in collaboration with ecoSPIRITS. Two cocktails on the menu each carry a direct environmental impact through the ecoSPIRITS Impact Programs, giving guests a tangible way to contribute simply by ordering a drink.

Both initiatives are powered by Green Steps Group’s proof-of-impact technology, which verifies every tree planted and every kilogram of ocean waste recovered.
https://penicillinbar.com/menu/