Where's the Drink List Gone? The Art of Mastering the Menuless Bar

If you don’t know your whiskeys from your bourbons, then rolling up to a menuless bar can be daunting. Luckily, you can be confident that there are bartenders in this city who have your back. Following a longtime trend that has caught on among the watering holes of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan, the menuless bar is beginning to snake its way through Beijing, and with it, savvy bartenders like Douglas Williams of BBC. We tested a few of his dark rums before launching into a chat about the challenges and rewards of no drink list.

A menu isn’t just a handy guide to cocktail ingredients, it can help you communicate with your bartender. How difficult is it to train staff to be able to find the right drink for a customer?
The biggest challenge is talking to customers. Between myself, my partners, Linch and Eric, and Stephanie from Mao Mao Chong, we have about 30 years of bartending experience, so that’s helpful. Everyone is familiar with the different categories of cocktails.

Can any talented bartender work without a menu?
There are a lot of technically-skilled bartenders in Beijing, but their knowledge is really just, “Here’s a recipe. I know how to make it.” They might not understand the cocktail families, such as how a margarita is related to a Cosmopolitan. It’s important to get a feel for what people are drinking so that you can actually make something different. We want our customers to have something more unique than a gin and tonic or a mojito because we want them to remember the experience.

Is the menuless bar for everyone?
We do get a lot of worldly, well-traveled people and a lot of people in the industry. They’re pretty seasoned, and they like it because we have a lot of eclectic spirits that you probably wouldn’t see elsewhere in Beijing. Our Chinese customers are also typically well-traveled and savvy, but we do get some people who were just wandering by and walk in. That’s the challenging part – getting to a comfort and trust level with them.

When you experiment, have you ever made a drink on the spot or do you usually prepare it beforehand?
We make tons of drinks on the spot. A lot of people pull out different bottles and ask you, “What’s this? Can you make something with that?” Yet, if we decide to do a Negroni with a coffee tincture, Aperol and Campari, some people might say, “I don’t like bitter in the sense of Campari, but I like coffee.” In that case, we say “OK, let’s work on something else.” We’ll then work on something on the spot. The foundation of that has to be that you know the categories and the recipes and why they work together. If you don’t have that foundation, it’s like roulette, and you’re going to get some bad drinks.

Do you do more craft cocktails or twists on the classics?
A little bit of everything. Each bartender has his own personality and as much as I’m controlling or would like to be, we try to let everyone have enough freedom to do what they want. Depending on who is behind the bar, everyone may be making different cocktails. It begins to become challenging if I make something for you and you come back and I’m not here. We try to keep track of what we made.

What are you working on now?
We’ll be doing a couple of hot drinks as we go into autumn – less bright and more full-bodied. We’ll probably start using more port and moving more towards cloves and nutmeg. We’ll also be getting in some craft whiskey and craft gin from Oregon.

Beijing's Menuless Bars

BBC
With a rotating team of masters possessing various interests and talents, customers are in for a wealth of possibilities, from twists on their favorites to pure experimentation.
Average price per cocktail: RMB 70
Address: Daily 6pm-late. 1 Taipingzhuang Nanli, Chaoyang District (186 1405 7407) 朝阳区太平庄南里1号

The Secret
A new hideaway with a well-curated selection of spirits executed by owner and weathered barman, Tony Zhao.
Average price per cocktail: RMB 100
Address: Daily 6pm-late. A-2022, Yongli International Center, 21 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District (8405-9525) 朝阳区工体北路21号永利国际A座2022

Ocean Grounds
While they do have a petite menu with a smattering of coffee-themed creations, the owner Jim Lee and award-winning bartender Paul Hsu from Taiwan are more than prepared to go the custom route.
Average price per cocktail: RMB 70
Address: Sun-Thu 7am-1am, Fri-Sat 7am-2am. 1-05, Bldg 1, 13 North Workers Stadium Road, Hai Long Plaza, Chaoyang District (5743 9548) 朝阳区工体北路13号际1-05 (海隆广场)

More stories by this author here.

Email: j.rapp@thebeijinger.com
Instagram: @jrapppp
 

Photos: Mitchell Pe Masilun