Beijing Boyce

A week ago, he brought comparisons to Harry Morgan. Yesterday, he was upgraded to Bruce Willis. Now, it seems apparent that it is Bruce Willis who looks like him. Meet Chad Lager - Rickshaw fixture, vessel of information for Bourbon lovers and a man who apparently gets better looking every day.

Odds are you haven’t spied much Old Grand-dad, Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve, Booker’s,  I.W. Harper,  Four Roses single barrel, Evan Williams or Wild Turkey 12-year-old around Beijing. Well, my friends, all of these Bourbons and more are available not only in our fair city, but in one place, a little spot to which Chad recently introduced me and some acquaintances.

The place consists of two small private rooms and a long bar that seats ten at most. It is modestly lit, non-pretentious and stocked with an excellent array of alcohol. The staff is efficient and polite, and will grab umbrellas and walk you to a taxi if it’s raining.

Chad had mentioned it to me half a dozen times and, as I sat on the balcony of The Rickshaw recently, he shouted from the deck below, “We’re going there tonight.” But this is best explained with lyrics to the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies theme song, which I haven’t been able to get out of my head for a week:

Now, listen to my story / ’bout a man named Chad
A guy who works at Rickshaw / where the wings are mighty bad*
Well, one balmy day  / he was serving up some  food
When in to the bar / came a babbling dude

(For wings, that is)
(Buffalo’d)
(Qingdao cold)

Well, the next thing you know / the dude has gone upstairs
Chad’s yelling from the deck / “hey, move away from there”
“I’m pretty darn sure / of a place you ought to be”
So we loaded into cabs / and we went to the Ichi…

(…kura, that is)
(Bourbon old)
(Liquid gold)

* Bad, in this case, means good.

The place has over 100 Bourbons, Scotches and Single Malts. It is small, quiet, relaxed and can be pricey, so if you’re the type that gets loud or feels uncomfortable dropping 300 kuai+ on high-quality alcohol, you might want to give it a pass.

The music is light and mixes well with the talk, which goes something like this. “I’ll have a Maker’s Mark Gold  - this one is only available in Japan.” “Glenlivet 18, please” “This one is much smoother than the last one.” “Jim Beam Black, straight up.” “Have you tried Red River (Hong He) cigarettes? The Yunnan tobacco is toasted, just like Lucky Strikes.” (Well, conversation isn’tonly about beverages.)

My favorite Bourbon of the night was IW Harper - a nice candied pear nose with a touch of bananas and an excellent rich and caramel-y mouth feel.

We also tried some amazing Captain Morgan private stock and a Moscow Mule - ginger-soaked vodka and ginger ale.

According to my eavesdropping, the Japanese owner, Kuroki Koji, came to Beijing to study Chinese literature but dreamed of opening a bar - and he did, in January 2004, with a partner. Ichikura is named after the basement of a rice warehouse where the owner opened his first bar.

Chad picked up the tab on this one, which, of course, guarantees a return visit… that I.W. Harper 12-year-old needs testing.