Booze News: Drink Fest China, All-You-Can-Drink For Men, Double Eleven Beer Deals, Charity Wine Tour
Thirsty? Wet your whistle with Booze News, our wrap-up of the week's best bar deals, parties, drink concoctions, industry gossip, and more.
Inaugural Drink Fest China
The people behind Dining City Restaurant Week are branching out this year, launching their first-ever Drink Fest China event, Nov 12-22. Much like their flagship event, Drink Fest spans multiple cities and venues across China, bringing you more than 1,000 craft drinks exclusively priced at just RMB 50 each. For Beijing, that means deals at feted cocktail bars such as The Black Moth, Scandal, Xian, Paper Planes, MO Bar, Union, Puxuan, and numerous others. To get in on the action, log into the Dining City mini-program via WeChat (scan the QR code), browse the venues, and buy redeemable vouchers for those you'd like to try – simple!
Gentlemen Tuesday at Underground Club
Described by a colleague as "one of the few places in Beijing where you can enjoy pure afrobeat and hip-hop that's not laced with EDM," the Ditan Park-adjacent Underground Club is "reminiscent of Saturday night Mix, except the afro-party goes on all night every night." Said colleague was quick to add that the alcohol deals at Underground Club are dangerous and have been gaining notoriety since the venue's opening this spring. Case in point: men have access to free whiskey or rum before midnight during their weekly Gentlemen Tuesday Nights, while anyone can buy into their selected drinks open bar 10.30pm-1.30am for RMB 80. Bye-bye Wednesday.
"Crazy beer deals" courtesy of Crafters
The Double Eleven madness may have calmed slightly but there are still deals about for the discerning shoppers among us. Crafters for one are offering deals on selected cans between now and the 15th, including 12 cans of Sweet Dreams and Time Machines for RMB 130 (down from RMB 198), Tiny Gangsta for RMB 150 (down from RMB 198), Bubble in the Head for RMB 170 (down from RMB 220), or 12 cans of each plus a Crafters glass for RMB 400 (originally RMB 704). See the full range of deals here.
Magusto party at Zarah
On Friday, head down to Zarah, 7pm till late, for a special Portuguese edition of their annual Autumn Lights event. In celebration of Saint Martin’s Day AKA “Magusto” (celebrated on Nov 11), it is tradition for people to come together and build a bonfire, feast on roasted chestnuts, and taste the first wines of the season. As such, there'll be plenty of mulled wine on hand as well as DJs to help you shake off the winter chills. Browse the full lineup here.
Wine dinner at Migas
Next Wednesday, Nov 18, Migas Mercado invites you to a dinner of their signature dishes courtesy of Chef Miguel, each paired with a selection of fine red wines chosen by Le Sommelier International. Courses include Spanish-style pigeon salad paired with Guimaro Finca Mexeiman 2017, grilled octopus with creamy rice paired with Domaine Gres St. Vincent 2018, roasted suckling pig with pumpkin puree paired with Alonso del Yerro 2015, and more. The fun starts at 7.30pm and costs RMB 698 per head. See the full details here.
New blueberry lambic from Jing-A
Over at Jing-A this Friday, the brewery will be celebrating the release of their latest special brew: the Blueberry Ye (5.2 percent ABV). From their ongoing series of lambic-inspired wild ales, Jing-A describe this latest version as having been brewed "with a high proportion of raw wheat, fermented with a mixed culture of Brett, Pedio, and Lacto, and aged for several months on French oak and [Liaoning province-sourced] blueberries." The result is a "Mouth-puckering tartness complemented by ripe stone fruit and a sparkling dry finish." Get it on tap or in 750ml bottles at all Jing-A venues. Get the full details here.
Cheers' mulled wine tour
Finally, Maovember and Cheers team up for a mulled wine charity tour on Nov 15, 2-5pm. Join the crew for "some exercise" while getting tipsy on Germany's traditional boozy feuerzangenbowle, literally "fire-tongs punch," in which a rum-soaked sugarloaf is set on fire and drips into a cup of mulled wine below. To join, simply donate RMB 88 to The Library Project via this link after which you'll be added to a WeChat group with all the tour details. The tour will stop near Chaoyang Park, Tuanjiehu, Sanlitun, and Workers' Stadium and there'll be prizes to be won throughout.
Hungry? Check out the best dining deals via our weekly food column EAT.
Images: Caroline Attwood (via Unsplash), Drink Fest China, Joost Crop (via Unsplash), courtesy of the venues, edeka.de
