Tucked right at the end of a bluestone-paved laneway in Chinatown, One or Two is a petite new bar with a similar blue-grey palette, specialising in cocktails and hard-to-find whiskies.

Owner Andy Chu brings connections to the Scottish whisky industry as well as perfect Melbourne bartending pedigree: a decade behind the stick at Above Board, Byrdi and The Everleigh. Before all that, he was raised in Hong Kong.

Chu says he's pouring whiskies that "aren't seen at more than five bars around town". There's Linkwood Single Cask, bottled exclusively for Australia with a black swan on its label, and the house whisky, a bespoke 13-year-old drop from Speyside distillery Aultmore.

House cocktails might include subtle nods to Asian drinks, such as Yin Yang Milk Punch, referring to the popular Hong Kong drink of coffee and tea called yuanyang tea.

These are joined by three classics plus guest cocktails from celebrated bars around the world. So far Benfiddich of Tokyo and Hong Kong bar Coa have been spotlighted.

Everything changes regularly, from the featured winemaker (most recently Gentle Folk) to the beers (Black Arts).

Chu says he is heavily inspired by the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which says imperfection can be beautiful and even motivate you to keep improving.

A wood-cut behind the bar features the enso, an open circular symbol of Zen Buddhism, that reflects this idea. The careful, considered and minimal fit-out adds to the Japanese feeling.

Open Tue-Sat 4pm-midnight

18 Celestial Avenue, Melbourne, oneortwo.com.au