Montana Hong Kong’s Cuban Disco Playlist

At Hong Kong cocktail bar and 2026 Imbibe 75 Place to Watch, Montana, it’s all about “bold drinks, vintage vibes, and music that moves you,” says co-founder Lorenzo Antinori in our January/February 2026 issue. Award-winning bartender Antinori opened the vibrant cocktail bar last July with partner and compatriot Simone Caporale (No. 3 World’s Best Bar Sips Barcelona), transporting bar-goers from Hong Kong’s SoHo neighborhood to 1970s Miami through its Daiquiris and disco.

The two-level space features raucous Miami dive bar vibes on the first floor and an art deco-style lounge upstairs with elegant seating and artwork depicting music legends. On Wednesday nights, a live band performs Cuban music in the lounge. Where Antinori’s Bar Leone can serve as a pregaming spot during aperitivo hour, Montana is the destination for dancing the night away.

Feeling sluggish? The bar crew greets each guest with a shout of “Ritmo!” (rhythm), instantly invigorating anyone needing a second wind. You’ll also be able to recharge with Cubanos and cocktails like the Café Havana, made with scotch, rum, amaro, cream sherry, Bénédictine, and cold-brew coffee, while songs by iconic Latin artists—think Gloria Estefan, Celia Cruz, and Bad Bunny—and touches of disco from ABBA, Lou Rawls, and Michael Jackson fill the space.

Montana is a tribute to the Club de Cantineros, a 1930s Cuban bartenders guild. But its lively theme is inspired by the Cuban bartenders who migrated to Florida in the ’70s. For more on the bar’s body-moving soundtrack plus a condensed version of their 200-song playlist, we talked with Caporale.

What’s the criteria for a song to make it onto the Montana’s playlist?

It must be the one that shakes the hips of the guests from four generations—20s to 60s. We see that happen every night. A cocktail bar that can make anyone feel at home at such a diverse age range is something you don’t see that often out there. Cuban congas, early salsa, mambo, and early disco and funk.

Why those genres?

Because exactly during the ’70s-’80s, those cultures were formed by complementing each other, uniting the “different” blending elegantly, in an honest and human way. Such results happen once every 100 years regarding culture, style, and rhythm. There are 100 Cuban bars in the world, but a “Cuban migrated to Florida in the 1970s” place has not been conceptualized before in the last 50 years.

Which songs would you cue up to start the night and end it?

• To start: Santana’s Oye Como Va
• The middle: Marc Anthony’s Aquanile
• The end: KC & the Sunshine Band’s (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty

What’s the perfect cocktail (or cocktails) to pair with the Montana playlist? 

The Montana Daiquiri embraces the classic Daiquiri No. 4 from Cuba, where, besides the finest Cuban rum, there’s hand-squeezed lime, super fresh on the spot. We add a dash of maraschino liqueur and raspberry eau de vie. The result is a zesty, delicious Daiquiri with a subtle rose-ruby color. Together with the Rum & Coke Sour, a cross between the iconic Cuba Libre and bourbon sour.