“A good cocktail has tension. The tension is in the balance between the strength of the alcohol and the sourness, saltiness, sweetness, and bitterness. It is not only just one flavour for me. Rather, it’s a balance of all these elements in a single drink.”

Agung and Laura Prabowo

Founders of Penicillin, Dead &, Lockdown

Our Urban Explorer

First off, congratulations on being listed #71 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. How impressive! Could you please introduce yourself to our guests?

Laura (L): Thank you! We are very grateful! To start off, my name is Laura Prabowo and I am one of the co-founders of homegrown bars Penicillin, Dead & and Lockdown.

Agung (A): I am Agung Prabowo, one of the co-founders as well who looks after the beverage programs across the three bars and the day-to-day management to ensure the bars are running smoothly to the highest quality.  

What is your background and how long have you been living in Hong Kong?

A: We are originally from Jakarta, Indonesia, specialising in tourism and hospitality, and we moved to Hong Kong in 2015. I had the opportunity to help open the Landmark Mandarin Oriental and Laura moved over a year later. After my stint at Mandarin Oriental, we worked at several local independent bars before we decided to up our own bar.

Having come from Indonesia, what were your first impressions of the city and how has it changed over time?

In comparison to Jakarta, Hong Kong is such a bustling city. It is very vibrant and from the moment you step into the city, there is a very different energy here. For one thing, the city never sleeps. It is like the New York of Asia where you can get everything over here. It is such an exciting, fast-paced city. We also love that there is such a great balance between nature and city life here.

L: When we first arrived, the first few months were quite tough because we did not know anyone, and we were just surrounded by skyscrapers everywhere. Now, we have a lot of friends here. I love hiking and discovered how many great trails are in Hong Kong so I really enjoy hitting them for some peace of mind.

What inspired you to open up a Penicillin bar?

L: We always had a plan to open up our own bar someday and we would play around with various concepts but one thing that always stuck with us was sustainability. When we used to work at other bars, they would incorporate some sustainable elements, but it was done on such a small scale, like not using plastic straws. And when COVID hit, even though many people were negatively impacted by it, we saw the silver lining. When the world was on pause, the sky was less polluted, the weather was nicer, and even endangered animals started coming out. Hence, that was how the idea came to life. We wanted to create something that Hong Kong didn’t already have and we wanted to show that sustainability can be cool and fun. The moment we decided to go for it, we knew we had to be 100% committed to it.

A: With the opening of Penicillin, it was almost a promise for us to make small changes within ourselves to act more sustainably. We wanted to create a business we were passionate about while helping Mother Earth. Even though it is hard to be 100% sustainable in our line of business, we aim to be 80% sustainable and we think about how we can use every material and ingredient to its fullest before discarding it. That is why our bar has four chamber elements: the laboratory, the main bar, the kitchen, and the fermentation room to help us carry out a lot of the recycling and upcycling. Ultimately, we wish to build a sustainable bar, not for us, but for the next generation.

How did you dive into the world of mixology?

A: To be honest, it is just our way of life. It’s in our blood, it’s in our DNA. We both studied in tourism and hospitality, but we just fell in love with bartending. It really is an art and a performance for us – the bar is our stage, and we get to perform and make people feel happy every time.

L: Absolutely! How you make the guests feel at home and make them feel happy is so important. If they enjoy themselves, they come back – not just because of the drinks or the environment – but because of you and the presence you have created for them. When I was studying, I always thought bartending looked so cool. All the bartenders had tattoos, piercings, and long hair. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to be a bartender and she said “No!”

How do you think you fit into the term ”Urban Explorer”?

L: To me, urban exploration is about exploring your craft. Now that we are Penicillin, I want to explore more ways of not only incorporating sustainability into our bar but into our daily life and across to our staff and guests. Everywhere we go, we basically introduce Penicillin and our sustainable practices to the world.

A: For me, urban exploration is really about exploring your passions in life. Back then, being a bartender was considered a taboo in our country, but through our exploration of mixology, we are able to share our passion with the world and let people know that mixology is an art and our way of life.

A Mix Made In Heaven

You two make such a great team together, both personally and professionally. Did you always have this chemistry from the very beginning?

We always have good chemistry and we always have trust and that is how we thrive both in our personal and professional life. We are always professional at work and respect each other like we would with our other colleagues. With every professional relationship, you get into various debates about the menu or specific ingredients to use in a drink but we always respect each other. It is these disagreements that make us stronger and that build chemistry.

Where do you get inspiration from when it comes to creating your cocktails? Is there a creative process involved?

Our concepts always stem from classic cocktails, but through our travels where we get to experience a kaleidoscope of cultures, foods, ingredients, and culinary techniques, we are able to take this back with us and adapt some of these culinary techniques to prep our cocktails.

What makes a good cocktail?

A good cocktail has tension. The tension in the balance between the strength of the alcohol and the sourness, saltiness, sweetness, and bitterness. It is not only just one flavour for me. Rather, it’s a balance of all these elements in a single drink. 

Do you each have a signature drink (made by you)?

As a concept bar, we have to change the menu from time to time, depending on the season and the ingredients we can source in Hong Kong. Hence, we have so many signature drinks that it is quite difficult for us to choose just one!

With the popularity of all your bars, what do you think is the secret ingredient for success?

A. For us, it’s really all about believing in yourself; believing that you are special and that you can make it happen. For instance, we opened in the midst of the second wave and we pressed on even though some days were very difficult.

L. You don’t know what makes you stronger until you feel it and until being strong is the only option you have. So it’s important to continue believing in your dreams and never give up!

Travel Inspiration

Where do you find inspiration for travel?

For us, we find travel inspiration mainly on Instagram and social media, in general. We also like to take recommendations from our guests and friends who have travelled to a place that they insist we go visit.

Any cool destinations on your bucket list?

Peru would be a destination we’d love to visit. We are intrigued by the culture, the history and just the way people live day to day.

L: I would love to see the Northern Lights as well!

If you had 3 words to describe the city, what would they be?

Vibrant, Fast, Colourful

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