New Cocktail & Bar Food Menus to Try Today

Shanghai is a cocktail city, Beijing is a beer city, or at least that’s how it’s been differentiated for quite some time. Be that as it may, Beijing has its fair share of reputable cocktail dens; places to visit for those looking for something a little more sophisticated than just another IPA.

Three of these bars in question – one in Gulou and the other two closer to Wangfujing and Dongdan – have dropped or are in the process of dropping new menus, making it an even better time than ever to drop by for a tipple.

New Summer Cocktails at Zarah

True to form, Zarah is updating their menu for the heat of summer with a few alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, ringing in the new menu with a party happening this Friday. Expect a sangria update in the form of Zarah’s Sangria (RMB 60) plus three other light cocktails.

Two of these include the Pineapple Splash (RMB 60, above), which takes rum and gives it a refreshing and herbal profile with pineapple juice infused with basil – for something a bit different than the more commonly used mint – backed up with the fresh mountain flower notes of elderflower syrup; and one especially recommended by the venue dubbed the Golden Bullet (RMB 65, below).

The latter beverage is a gin sour made tart with lemon, a combination Zarah's Seda says is perfect for hot summers. To add a little more complexity to the drink, they opted for rooibos tea and huangpi, a fruit commonly consumed in South China in summer whose flavor – sweet, sour, and earthy – acts as a perfect complement to the gin and other ingredients.

Zarah’s Hello Summer! Cocktail Launch Party will be happening this Friday, Jun 12, from 7pm ‘til late. Entry is free. Read more here.

Café Zarah
46 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街46号
Hours: Sun-Thurs, 9am-midnight; Fri-Sat, 9am-1am
Contact: 010 8403 9807

New Bar Food for Cocktail Pairing at shifter

“Farm to bar” concept shifter is not only adding some new drinks to their menu, but they’ve paired a few with bar snacks as well. These aren’t your typical peanuts or chicken wings either, instead, these are some particularly fancy snacks that build off the bar’s ethos of using the freshest seasonal ingredients for the best product possible.

These include the Tomato Bellini (RMB 100), a blend of farm-grown tomatoes with prosecco, which is echoed in the tomato department by a Tomato Tapas Dish (pictured above with the cocktail), in which crisp bread is topped with smooth homemade garlic ricotta, basil, and a farm-grown tomato puree for that balance of acid and sweet.

Also available are the Shiso (RMB 100, gin, shiso, and perilla), which is best paired with a plate of Shiso Pickled Cucumber, enhanced with homemade fish stock jelly, seaweed topping, and a little more shiso with shiso bonito seasoning; and the Basil (RMB 100), in which smoky mezcal gets a bit more upbeat with salty parmesan and tomato plus sweet and slightly spicy purple basil. Accompanying the drink is a dish of Fried Potatoes with pistachio basil pesto, parmesan cheese, and the nutty and sweet undertones of yet more pistachio.

All of these can be purchased on their own for RMB 68 each, while the dishes can be bought as a set of three called the 农场三宝 nóngchǎng sānbǎo (Three Farm Treasures) via Dianping for RMB 158.

shifter
South Gate, 1/F, Jinbao Hui Shopping Center, 88 Jinbao Jie
金宝街88号金宝汇购物中心1层南门旁
Hours: Daily, 2pm-2am
Contact: 153 0138 3942

Simple Drink: Bar Longfong Menu 3.0

Bar Longfong, a hotel adjacent bar located on the first floor of the Park Plaza Hotel in Wangfujing, has always prided itself in using drinks to not only showcase their talent but to also let customers see their development and progress through their menus.

Whereas their first two menus focused on craft and using local ingredients, their third outing, Simple Drink, is just that: a showcase of drinks that are simple in execution and design, in a way that the bar hopes will help them better connect with their customers. Their simple drinks are still, through and through, a master class in execution in flavor, though.

Two of note in particular are the Frozen Peach with Waxberry Chamoy (RMB 118) and the Melon Chawari (RMB 128). The former strives to keep the elusive flavor of honey peach and waxberry alive a little longer by transforming both into honey peach shrub and waxberry chamoy, respectively. These are then combined with French gin and falernum for some ginger and spice. The latter gets super local with Yashixiang tea from a family-owned tea garden as a base, supplemented with matcha, Chinese basil, bitter melon and gin.

Another worth mentioning – and one that’s a little bit stronger than the other two – is the Royal Kaleidoscope (RMB 138). Named for its ability to highlight a different flavor in each sip, the drink combines rich Armagnac and rice baijiu with espresso, cold brew coffee, fennel, barley, and citron fruit. A true kaleidoscope of flavor indeed.

You can read more about Longfong’s previous menus and other drinks in this post.

Bar Longfong 廊房酒吧
1, 1/F, 97 Jinbao Jie (Behind Park Plaza Hotel), Chaoyang District
朝阳区金宝街97号一层1号(北京丽亭酒店后面)
Hours: Daily, 7pm-2am
Contact: 010 8517 5879

READ: Help CFFC Beijing Select Their 2024 Charity Recipients

Images: Courtesy of the venues, Uni You, theBeijingers