Fresh Fruit, Shaken and Stirred at Hotaru Whisky & Cocktail Bar
A bowl of fruit rests on the bar in front of Li Ping, and as you enter Xinyuan Xili's Hotaru, he gestures at the bowl and asks you what kind of cocktail you like. When you confess to having a sweet tooth, the bartender plucks a handful of white grapes from their stem in the bowl, and quickly dices them up, then sets to work on mashing those plump juicy slices in a mortar and pestle. He dumps the crushed fruit in a glass, before pouring Grey Goose vodka, Lillet fortified white wine, some syrup and lime juice on top, stirring it all together.
He then gives the mixture a few brisk shakes, and pours the emerald liquid out. To call it refreshing would be an understatement, and as you sip away, its light and sweet qualities prove a delight for your palate. Is it worth the RMB 120 price tag? Not quite, though such is the sadly overpriced state of Beijing's cocktail scene these days. Still, when judged against many of its equally expensive peers, the customized cocktails at this recently opened, Japanese-style Xinyuan Xili bar measure up quite well. We'd love to come back again and see what Li does with the pineapples, oranges, dragon fruit and other fresh wares in that bowl. The cutesy, woodsy decor – from the knotted branch patterns carved into the wood on its walls and tables, to the Disney cartoon woodland creatures etched on the bar – was bizarre, but at least distinct, ensuring no one could ever accuse Hotaru of being bland.
Li proves to be a soft-spoken, capable bartender, readying off-menu cocktails with ease. He and his colleagues' command of English is quite low, so patrons with weak Mandarin skills will struggle to get their point across, though simply telling him even in broken Chinese about your preference for sweet, bitter, sour or spicey flavors, or rhyming off a few of your favorite fruits, will be more than enough to do the trick.
A major bonus: the whiskies on offer, with some less than conventional options like Oregon Snapper (RMB 80 per glass or RMB 1280 for a 750ml bottle), Angel’s Envy bourbon (RMB 90 for a glass or RMB 1680 for a 700ml bottle), along with a range of Yamazaki and Hibiki single malts (ranging from RMB 90 all the way to RMB 450 per glass, depending on the grade you'd like), not to mention plenty more Japanese whiskies and Scotches.
Will it win any bar of the year awards, or attract hordes like its Courtyard 4 or Xindong Lu counterparts? Of course not. And yet, the undeniably delicious fresh fruit gimmick, commendable array of spirits, and offbeat decor all make Hotaru a fun spot to grab a night cap for curious cocktail lovers, whiskey devotees and Xinyuan locals with relatively deep pockets.
Hotaru Whisky & Cocktail Bar
Daily, 7pm-Late. F1, Building 6 Xinyuan Xili (6462 5559)
北京市朝阳区新源西里东6号楼1层
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Email: kylemullin@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Photos: Kyle Mullin
