Beijing Boyce

The Crowne Plaza Hotel (Wangfujing) launched its lobby bar late last month with a party that saw the multi-hued cocktails and Veuve Cliquot flow. The waitresses sported wild hairdos, the dry ice smoked, the jazz musicians pecked out tunes and the decor had hints of Centro. The hotel’s managers circulated, picking up more than ample praise, prompting me to note that the cocktails could be better. New food and beverage manager Jeroen Jolij, a newcomer to Beijing, looked me straight in the eye and, to my surprise, did none of the following: 1) shrug his shoulders, 2) insincerely say “sorry,” 3) blame it on fellow employees, 4) give me an “if you don’t like it, go somewhere else” look, or 5) mush a strawberry into my face. Instead, he escorted me to the bar, introduced me to a man named Finn Huang, and asked me to order. “Vodka martini with a twist” said I, and a few minutes later, with a perfect string of lemon peel, a tasty three-ounce drink appeared courtesy of Finn. (Note: Even M-Dawg, no fan of martinis, excitedly remarked, “THAT looks like a real cocktail!”.) Well, we all get lucky, so I asked Finn to have another go, this time with gin. Once again, another magically intoxicating drink appeared. That’s the good news. Now, the bad: Finn was only in Beijing for the night, as his regular gig is Three on the Bund in Shanghai. The silver lining: any bar with the sense to hire a quality bartender, even for one night, has potential. (Note: Afterwards, I headed to nearby Garden of Delights and had a delicious Mojito Martini and a Long Island. Good stuff.)

(From Beijing Boyce XVI, first emailed on May 11, 2006)