First Glance: Bottle, Boot and Cigar Soft Opens on Xingfucun Zhonglu

If you've been spending your nights meandering along the short distance between Frost, Commix and The Big Smoke and you're ready to add another hipster spot to your Xingfucun Zhonglu bar crawl, then your wish has finally been granted. 

The shoe shine bar that Beijing Boyce has been playing up for more than a month had its soft opening last night, where local legend, Stephanie Rocard of Mao Mao Chong, mixed classy bourbon cocktails next to an ice bowl full of mint julep mix.

Bottle, Boot, and Cigar, or BBC, only boasts bottles so far, but the man behind it all, Douglas Williams, says they're due to introduce smokes, a barber's chair, shoe shining, and, if all pans out, a Shanghai-style close shave within the coming weeks.

Until then, their main draw by day is a bottle and bar tools shop, and by night, they pour tasty drinks from a small cocktail list (RMB 60-110). Even more interesting than the drinks themselves is the collector vintage and quirky glasses they're served in.

We especially liked the fact that their slate bar counter had built-in lights for an impressive presentations of their unusual and beautiful assortment of stemware you'll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere in Beijing. Look for gems like purple depression glass tumblers, limited edition Hendrick's Gin tea cups, and golden jiggers.

Read more about BBC on our blog as they prepare for their official opening in June.

Photos: Jessica Rapp