Scarlet A Whips Gulou into Shape with Scandalously Delicious Cocktails
At Scarlet A, prepare to experience a slice of forbidden fruit, in the form of a modern speakeasy that serves succulent cocktails that are strong, sweet, bitter, and sizable enough for even the prickliest of drinking enthusiasts.
The journey inside begins with a wall of cafe paraphernalia that you have to slide over to enter into the main bar room. It’s here that you’ll encounter the bartenders hard at work, facilitating a variety of modern bar techniques that will leave you licking those cocktail thirsty lips in anticipation. Travel further in and you’ll find an elegant, dimly lit back room for small groups or for a little privacy.
The cocktails are where this place truly shines. They are not only delicious but feature the stunning presentation that is currently lacking on Gulou. We loved both the Queen of Hearts (RMB 55), a caipirinha variation made with pepper-infused cachaca, and the Don Diego (RMB 90), a boldly flavored drink featuring a mezcal and Aperol base. Both we felt were unpretentious in terms of price and also generous enough to keep you coming back to suckle on these godly nectars. They need to do something with hawthorn, though. I mean, come on.
We would like to add that Scarlet A isn’t a one-trick pony. These days it’s not enough to be just another bar or a house with seven gables. They are also serving up a damn fine cup of joe (RMB 20-50) in the mornings and afternoons so that you can greet the day with a breath of caffeinated fire. Their beans are of the single origin variety from Yunnan and abroad and are prepared using a special water filtration system from Singapore, to ensure that you get only best from their enthusiastic operation.
Far from wearing the A as a letter of disgrace, this establishment wears it with pride and with deliciously seductive cocktails and coffee to match.
Scarlet A
Daily 10am-2am. 60 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District, Dongcheng District (186 0041 1298)
东城区东城区鼓楼东大街60号
More stories by this author here.
Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com
Photo: Kipp Whittaker
