Can a cocktail list engage in a meaningful dialogue with painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso? The answer is yes — unequivocally so. At least according to the team behind Artifact in Hong Kong, which has shaped its new Volume 7 menu around the legacy of the Spanish master.
Artifact’s Latest Menu Draws from Picasso
Invoking Picasso inevitably means entering the realm of Cubism. Ezra Star and Beckaly Franks, owners of Artifact, together with Bar Manager J Frank, chose to narrow the focus, turning their attention to Synthetic Cubism — the artist’s later phase, spanning 1912 to 1914, marked by a reassembly of forms previously broken apart.
Within Volume 7, Artifact’s seventh cocktail list, there is also a drink inspired by Guernica. While the painting does not strictly belong to the Synthetic Cubist period, it remains Picasso’s most recognizable work and an unavoidable cultural reference. Across the menu, the signature drinks are conceived so that their visual presentation plays with geometric forms, echoing the language of the movement.
Inside the New Signatures
The sequence opens with Noon on the Macharnudo, a name that directly references one of Andalusia’s most renowned vineyards and the grapes behind some of its finest sherries. The drink is a highball built on fino sherry, pink guava, lemongrass, grapefruit and celery.
Vestido Rojo draws from two distinct sources: the structure of a Bloody Mary informs its style, while flamenco dancing shapes its intensity. The Artifact team combines fino sherry, reposado tequila, cherry tomato, bell pepper and pomegranate.
Palomino Gold also operates on a dual reference — the Palomino grape and the ochre-gold coat of the horse bearing the same name. It is a short drink composed of amontillado sherry, Scotch whisky, Granny Smith apple, sage and allspice.
The fourth cocktail, Lover Boy, takes its name from the English rendering of El Peti, a term from the Jerez dialect describing a local young man with effortless charisma. Its ingredients include oloroso sherry, moscato, strawberry, yogurt whey, rose and chives.
Closing the list is Guernica, a direct nod to Picasso’s painting. It is a powerful blend of Pedro Ximénez sherry, mezcal, aged rum, bitters and lime oil.
The Return of Past Signatures
Volume 7 also reintroduces a selection of cocktails from previous menus. These are organized into four sections: Tamed Earth, Wild Frontier, Littoral Influence and Artisan’s Craft.
The structure guides guests through a sensory progression — from cultivated fields (Tamed Earth) to the threshold between nature and human discovery (Wild Frontier); from maritime freshness (Littoral Influence) to the transformative potential of human ingenuity (Artisan’s Craft).
Artifact: 3 Years, 7 Menus, and Momentum
Artifact opened in March 2023 and quickly established itself as a destination for cocktail enthusiasts in Hong Kong and beyond. Conceived as a futuristic speakeasy, its design draws inspiration from underground water cisterns, with a pronounced focus on aged spirits. The release of Volume 7 coincides with the bar’s third anniversary.
Photos courtesy of Artifact
