Get Your Negroni Week Fix at These Beijing Bars
Of all the annual cocktail holidays – and the great many for different spirits and liqueurs – one we look forward to the most is the annual Negroni Week – because why do a day for the bitter red aperitif when you can do an entire week?
Per the official website, Negroni Week was kicked off in 2013 by Imbibe Magazine as a means of celebrating one of the world’s best cocktails and raising money for a good cause, Negroni Week has since gone worldwide. Today, thousands of venues participate each year, and, to date, the initiative has raised over USD 5 million for charitable causes.
Many Beijing bars will be serving up classic Negronis or riffs on the classic from Sep 16-22. Below you’ll find a few of our favorite bars, which we think are worth a visit.
Carbon – Bananagroni
Carbon is a bit of an oddball, but in a good way. They’ve got some pretty bomb fried chicken sandwiches, biscuits, and waffle fries, plus they have some really crazy interesting cocktails – all of them on tap, at that. Seeing as Negroni Week is all about one cocktail, though, the beverage of choice at Carbon in that regard is their Bananagroni (RMB 85), aka the banana Negroni.
This Negroni eschews tradition a bit, swapping out the markedly bittersweet Campari for lighter Aperol as its red-orange liqueur. Gin still remains the base spirit, but it’s joined by banana-infused vermouth, thus giving the drink its moniker.
Carbon 汽水
A6 Xingfuyicun Xili, Chaoyang District
朝阳区幸福一村西里甲6号
Hours: Mon-Thurs & Sun, 6pm-1am; Fri-Sat, 6pm-2am
Phone: 198 0029 3010
Apollo – Negronis on Tap
Stylish American eatery and drinking den Apollo is going all out for Negroni Week with four Negroni variants on tap (all RMB 80 each). While their take on the classic, the Apollo Negroni -- a wedding of the juniper forward and elaborately spiced Dutch Courage gin with rich Cocchi vermouth officiated by bitter Campari -- is amazing in its own right, these others were a hit on their debut last weekend.
Chef Jarrod Verbiak tells the Beijinger that the Classic on tap was most popular, although it was slowly losing ground to the Caffè Negroni – a Negroni with coffee liqueur added in and smoothed out by a special aging process. These are rounded out by the Ibisco Negroni, made with habiscus-infused mezcal, and the Bianco Negroni. All of these will be available on their own or as part of a flight of half pours (RMB 160) throughout Negroni Week.
Apollo
Southwest corner, 1/F Pacific Century Place, 2 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工人体育场北路甲2号三里屯盈科中心1层西南侧
Hours: Daily, 8am-11pm
Phone: 010 8599 9116
Golden Weasel – Mezcal Negroni & More
After having moved from its previous location on Huayuan Hutong, Golden Weasel is settling in nicely into its new digs in Bexinqiao, where it shares space with cozy, yet sleek coffee shop Self Coffee. Setting up in the same space as a café has led to the birth of coffee-tinged cocktails, one of which is the Silk Coffee Negroni (RMB 78).
This take sees the addition of vermouth-brewed coffee with Campari and Julu Silk Road Gin, a Shanghai craft gin from which it takes its name. The Silk Coffee Negroni isn’t the only thing they’ll have for the week, though. Golden Weasel will also have a menu of Negroni riffs, the most anticipated being the Mezcal Negroni (RMB 78). Swapping gin for mezcal Espadín, it also has a bit of agave syrup, making for a strikingly sessionable drink.
Golden Weasel 醉鼠酒吧
125 Dongsi Beidajie, Dongcheng District (inside self coffee)
东城区东四北大街125号
Hours: Tues-Sun, 7pm-midnight
Bollywood Tales – Malabar Spiced Negroni
Taking its name from India's most famous spice growing region – also known as Kerala – the Malabar Spiced Negroni (RMB 68) is Bollywood Tales' signature addition to this year's Negroni Week. As the name suggests, it includes a mixture of spices from Malabar, including cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom and others, which are infused with gin for a Negroni with depth and intrigue.
Bollywood Tales will also be doing a BOGO deal on their new Negroni throughout the week of Sep 16-22, making it as good a time as ever to head over to Shuangjing and try it out.
Bollywood Tales by Dastaan 宝莱坞故事印度餐厅
1F, 10, Bldg 2, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区百子湾路32号院2号楼1层10号
Hours: Daily, 11.30am-10pm
Phone: 150 3015 2369, 185 1447 9711
Nina Pop-Up, Voyage at Temple – Pineapple & Artichoke Negroni
Back from the ashes, albeit in a more limited form, is hutong aperitivo bar Nina, brought back to life via weekly pop-ups at Voyage at Temple. Considering they’re only popping up at Voyage on Fridays, this is the perfect spot, in our opinion, to end this week honoring the three-part red cocktail.
The entire Negroni menu is still available, including their list of ten different Negronis. Our go-to is usually the Artichoke Negroni (RMB 60), which swaps out the vermouth for decidedly bitter and earthy Cynar, an Italian Amaro liqueur that counts artichoke among its many ingredients. There’s also the Pineapple Negroni (RMB 65), sweetened up with pineapple-infused Campari for a slightly more tropical take on the classic.
Voyage at Temple
23 Songzhuyuan, Shatan Beijie, Dongcheng District
东城区沙滩北街嵩祝院23号
Hours: Wed-Sun, 6pm-1am
Phone: 185 0196 9485
These are just some of our favorite places for a Negroni – there are countless other Beijing bars taking part in the week. You can find a list of these at negroniweek.com/find/. What’s your favorite spot for a Negroni and why? Let us know in the comments!
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Images: Unsplash, Vincent R. Vinci, courtesy of the venues
