Guest Bartenders Set to Shake Up Janes and Hooch (Mar 15) and Bvlgari's Il Bar (Mar 16-18)

Beijing's cocktails scene has been a bit quiet thus far in 2018, at least compared to the seemingly neverending slew of new openings last year (recently unveiled Courtyard 4 joint Scandal aside).

But that, of course, doesn't mean there aren't new things to get excited about at many of our favorite local watering holes. To whit, two of top Beijing's cocktail bars are inviting esteemed guest bartenders to shake up the proceedings in the coming days.

Smoke and Mirrors, a cocktail lounge located in Singapore's National Gallery and praised for its food, drink, and spectacular views, has sent head bartender Yugnes Susela on a tour of Asia. His Beijing stop is happening at Courtyard 4 cocktail haven Janes and Hooch on Mar 15, where Susela will ready four cocktails from his new Playful Eye menu. Some of those drinks are woozy and bubbly enough to evoke a molecular gastronomic dish, while others are paired with cutesy edible garnishes.

Susela was interviewed by Esquire Singapore early last year, and he gave the glossy mag some enticing quotes about his humble beginnings ("I started out as a dishwasher") to tempting tidbits about the importance of garnishes, contrasting flavors, and other tricks of the high-end bar trade.    

From the well-established Janes and Hooch, we then make our way to up-and-comer Il Bar, is housed in the recently opened Bvlgari hotel near Liangmaqiao, and has quietly been operating for the past few months. So far quiet in terms of promotions and events, the bar looks to make a bigger splash from Mar 16-18 by hosting award-winning Portuguese bartender Wilson Pires, a mainstay mixologist at Amsterdam's Tales and Spirits. Pires has had a winning streak as of late, picking up "Best International Portuguese Bartender" by the Lisbon Bar Show awards in 2017, "Best Old Fashioned In the Netherlands" by Esquire magazine in 2016, and "Bartender of the Year," in his native Portugal in 2014, among other accolades.

News of Susela's and Pires' arrival in Beijing bodes well for local cocktail aficionados and looks to set a trend for top outside talent heading to the capital over spring.

Yugnes Susela will be at Janes and Hooch on Mar 15. For more information, click here.
Wilson Pires will be at Il Bar from Mar 16-18. For more information, click here.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle

Photos: Esquire Singapore, Instagram, the coordinators