Beijing Boyce

I went to the Dewar’s Academy of Whisky launch last night. It marks the start of 60 Whisky-related events - master classes, parties, etc - to be held during the next 30 days. BRAWL - The Bourbon, Rye and Whisk(e)y League (the club founded by Ed Ohlin and myself) - will be the guinea pigs and take the first class tonight. A few observations about the launch party:

- The academy is a giant castle-like structure between buildings A and B in Jianwai Soho, and includes two long bars, an area for the master classes and a big open space for parties. The one thing they forgot was a Whisky-filled moat.

- Based on some of the imagery, Dewar’s hopes to do what Chivas did - cash in big time with young, rich Chinese. One poster features five well-dressed, attractive, young Chinese (evoking thoughts of Babyface). The women wear the types of short-skirted dresses that might be slipped off by moving a strap or two, while the men are in full suits with ties up and shoes tightly laced. I’ll let the psychologists explain what it all means.

- There were guys wearing kilts, there were bagpipes, there was a Scottish band - what else would you expect?

- One patron approached the bar, looked past the 12-year-old Scotch and spied a bottle of Dewar’s Signature. He asked for some… with Sprite. Before generalizations kick in, he was a foreigner, American I believe. There’s nothing wrong with Sprite and Whiskey, but best to use the cheaper stuff with mix, even when it’s free (it’s the principle of the thing).

I will have more later. Now, I must be off to class…

Saddle, the margarita and burrito spot that spun off Cox and The Rickshaw, bid farewell last night with a closing party that saw the bar’s fans turn up in droves. It also attracted the local police, whose interest lay not in enjoying the free Qingdao but in confiscating empty chairs and tables out front - unfortunately, after an initial four, there weren’t any to be had. The police parked their van out front, practically blocking the door, and appeared half-bored and half-annoyed. Which made me think - is dealing with the foreigners who habituate this area some kind of punishment?

Police chief: “Officer Lu, your performance has been substandard. We are transferring you to Sanlitun.”

Officer Lu [falling to the floor and clutching his head]: “Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

Anyway, numerous regulars and some of the original wait staff were on hand and, at least the short time I was there, had a great time. Look for the owners behind this spot to open elsewhere soon.