2015 Year in Review: Our Favorite New Cocktail Bars

This year has experienced a healthy amount of bar openings, helping Beijing’s nightlife advance considerably with plenty of high and lowbrow cocktail adventures ready for your amusement. Below are our favorites, which opened up in 2015 and are all worthy of your patronage and hard-earned yuan.
 

Infusion Room
This bar was opened by Paul Hsu, the mind behind delicious cocktail menus at JC Lounge and Ocean Grounds. Though we may have been a little nervous at first about the steep price tag on all the drinks, the Rum Martini is smoked out with Chinese cedar set alight in front of you, which more than makes up for the cost. It was a little like drinking rum straight from a cigar box, or maybe like a long, cool sip of liquidized Harry Belafonte. Next we ordered up a Lavender Royal Sidecar (RMB 100). This is comprised of fine Champagne cognac, lavender-infused organic honey, dry Curaçao, and fresh lemon juice, topped off with Champagne. Very refreshing, and hey, we like bubbles. We were extremely impressed with their boozy sorcery, also the loads of beautiful people in attendance didn’t hurt either.
 

The Tiki Bungalow
This new bar on the scene doesn’t waste your time with those unsavory versions of Tiki drinks that you might find in a small Southeast Asian beach town. Instead, you’ll find traditionally crafted tipples straight from the recipe books of Don the Beach Comber or Trader Vics. We tried the Jet Pilot, and it was everything that it should be. Filled with crushed ice submerged in a long list items (mostly alcohol) and topped with one of those delicious Luxardo Cherries. It was the perfect mix of sweet, sour, and bitter inspired from a 1958 recipe from the Luau in California. Other Tiki drinks on the menu include the Zombie Punch, Mai Tai, and Leilani’s Volcano, just to name a few. One thing we’ve learned about this watering hole is that it’s almost impossible to leave without getting pleasantly smashed on their delightfully generous pours. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
 

Scarlet A
The cocktails are where this place truly shines. They are not only delicious but feature a 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.
 

Tang
Stylish cocktail bar and dance club Tang takes over the former site of Pirate King, a spot that once housed a basement seafood restaurant with a pirate theme (whoever thought that was a good idea). Their bar manager has moved over from Flamme, an establishment that in its heyday was the go-to place for quality cocktails and so-so steaks. We very much enjoyed Tang’s Rum Martinez (RMB 78), which was just the perfect amount of sweet, and they use a magnificent 23-year-old Zacapa rum. It’s always nice when a bar doesn’t skimp by using the cheap stuff. All in all a very comfortable place to enjoy a couple drinks and maybe shake a tail feather on the dance floor.
 

8-Bit
The cocktails are a dramatic improvement from their previous location. Our favorites are the Perfect Dark (RMB 50), which has a nice caramel-nectar flavor to it, and Yoshi’s Envy (RMB 50) reminiscent of the Hi-C Ectocooler from our youth that’s deliciously combined with basil. These are like big kid cocktails: flavors that are fun for your mouth and give you a slightly refined sugar high. We were extremely happy to see them up their game in the cocktail department this time around and we’re anxious to see what other video game themed concoctions they come up with next.
 

Charlie Chaplin Bar
At this speakeasy style joint, there’s no menu, so you’ll have to know what kind of drinks or flavors you like before approaching the bar with your order. This sort of free form cocktail exploration is trending at the moment and it allows the bartenders to be a little more playful with their top shelf liquors, and copious amounts of syrups and bitters. We tried what the barman called 30 Years of Fun (RMB 80), a flashy display of Polynesian flair accompanied with a side of bitter melon. The drink was on the sweet side, which was to be expected, but it gave us a cool island vibe and a desire to try out more from their non-existent menu.

More stories by this author here.

Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com

Photos: Kipp Whittaker, Uni