Beijing Boyce

This Saturday, Bob Louison will teach the thirteenth in a series of cocktail classes held by his company Spirit It. The lessons have covered everything from the classics to creations inspired by Thailand, India, France, and the United States. I asked him a few questions about the class, the Beijing cocktail scene in general, and my pet peeve – flair bartending.

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What can someone expect to experience in your cocktail classes?

You will experience the feeling of making cocktails like a bartender. You will have your own station and tools, and will learn a few bartending basics, such as how to create balance in your cocktail, how to blend flavors, and how to free pour. During each class, you will learn three or four cocktail recipes that you won’t find in Beijing as well as some classics.They all contain Grand Marnier since it is the sponsor.

Finally, we will test your skills. This includes taking the ingredients used during the class and coming up with your own cocktail. The best one wins a bottle of Grand Marnier.

What are the three biggest problems with the way cocktails are made in most Beijing bars?

I would say the biggest problem is consistency. You can order three Cosmopolitans and each will taste different. Second, bartenders often don’t know how to balance the ingredients, so the drink comes out too strong, too sour, or even too watery if the bartender shakes it too long. And third would be speed. It often takes a long time to get a cocktail because the bartender is not sure of the recipe and has to check the menu and, even worse, guess how much of each ingredient to include.

Where are your favorite places to have a cocktail in Beijing and what do you usually order?

I like Face Bar very much. They have a pretty nice cocktail list and keep the quality high. It is a pleasure to either sit in the lounge or on the patio, with the red lanterns providing a magical atmosphere. I love their Creme Brulee Martini.

I also like Lan Club. They just made a new cocktail list, with every drink containing Grand Marnier, and it is pretty impressive. I especially like their Forbidden Red Dragon cocktail.

And Maison Boulud also makes great cocktails. I think the head bartender is one of the best in Beijing, but few people know about him.

What is your favorite cocktail made with local ingredients?

I like to use local ingredients. I love hawthorn, lychee, ginger, lemongrass, yuzu, dragon fruit, and very sweet Chinese cherries. I even make my own jasmine syrup. My favorite cocktail is my own: the Jasmine Martini. It includes jasmine syrup, two orange wedges, vodka, Grand Marnier, and lemon juice, with a jasmine flower as a garnish.

Flair bartenders: I am not a big fan, especially when it involves fire, but it seems popular in Beijing. What  is your take?

I like it very much, but Beijing bartenders don’t put it to good use. They put the quality of the cocktail aside while they are performing. The purpose of flair is to entertain the customers while you make a quality cocktail. These bartenders need to first learn how to make good cocktails, then practice flair. And flair should be visual and efficient, allowing you to work faster, not slower.

How did you get involved with cocktails and how did you end up in China?

I became a bartender at 18 years old in Paris to help pay for my studies. I fell in love with it and have practiced since. I was attracted to China for years and the Olympics provided a good opportunity to come here and look for a job. Since I wanted to open my own bar consulting and event company, I thought China would offer many chances. Now that I have Spirit It, it has turned out to be true.

The prayers of The Village Grouch* have been answered: Black Cat Bone and DK and the Hellcats will team up this Saturday night from 10 PM at 2 Kolegas (map). Black cats meet hellcats, blues meets rockabilly, beer meet mouths… it’s all good. (* See Sailor costumes, terrifying tattoos & lycra tights: The Village Grouch on 2 Kolegas).

The Stone Boat (map) hosts local jazz band No Name Trio this Saturday night from 9:30 PM. Sitting in the park, listening to jazz, sipping a glass of wine… I can’t think of a better warmup for a vodka-guzzling, hookah-smoking, patron-ogling night at nearby Chocolate Club (map).

Once upon a time, Neo Lounge ranked as the hottest club in town. This Sunday, the China Cultural Center (map) will screen a documentary by Joanna Vasquez Arong that looks at some of the frequenters of this place (from 7:30 PM to 9 PM; RMB40). Arong will be on hand to take questions (more details here).

This one is dedicated to Traci Smith’s recent post on influential music joints in Beijing: rock band Wang Wen marks its tenth anniversary with a gig this Saturday night from 8 PM at MAO Livehouse (map) (RMB60). See here for more details / enigmatic text. Meanwhile, Carsick Cars releases its second album at Yugong Yishan tonight.

Canucks celebrate their national day early as the Canada-China Business Council hosts its annual party at the Canadian International School (map). The highlight tends to be The Beijinger chili-eating contest, though perhaps – hopefully – there will be a beer tent with more than a dozen stools as well as food stalls that don’t run out of grub two hours before the event ends. The fee is RMB100 for CCBC members, RMB120 for nonmembers, RMB60 for those aged five to 12, and free for those under the age of four.

And Canucks, if Sunday is your day of rest, the Goose and Duck (map) is holding a Canada Day bash on Tuesday to count down to July 1. The first 200 people get a free gift (I’m guessing its your choice between a goose or a duck – take the goose, it’s more patriotic). There will also be free snacks, a replay of game seven of the Stanley Cup finals, a beer-drinking contest, all-you-can-eat geoduck, and happy hour until the singing of O Canada at midnight. Did I mention this place has tabletop hockey?

Wikipedia reports that Michael Jackson had 13 number one hits on Billboard, 14 if you count “We are the World”. Jackson made great music and, while thinking about the news of his death and deciding not to get caught up in the Twitter frenzy over it, I decided to match the title of each number one song to a Beijing bar (plus a restaurant or two). Feel free to add your own.

1972: Ben
The character “ben” (third tone) can mean “book”, so this one goes to Le Petit Gourmand and The Bookworm, both of which have thousands of volumes.

1979: Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
Any place with an all-you-can-drink special, like The Boat.

1980: Rock with You
The Stone Boat, an idyllic place to spend time with a beverage and with the one you love. (I might have gone with  Hard Rock Cafe, but that place hasn’t been the same since BB King played. Oh wait, that was the opening show a decade ago.)

1983: Billie Jean
Chef Too. I once saw Chef Billy wear jeans. Woah, that’s a stretch (I mean the connection, not his pants).

1983: Beat It
Bed bar, for, uh, for the way they mash the limes in those mojitos…

1983: Say Say Say
Face

1985: We Are The World
I’m giving it to Danger Doyle’s, which blends an Irish bar, Italian pizza, American hamburgers, Australian, Belgian, Japanese and Chinese bottled beer, German home brew, a Swedish single malt, etc. And because Michael Jackson songs played at least five times a night when manager Glenn Phelan worked at Browns.

1987: I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
Touch, either the bar in the hotel or in Houhai. Also, Together bar.

1987: Bad
Punk

1987: The Way You Make Me Feel
Mesh, because if you have to use the hotel elevator, you need to grasp in the dark for the button.

1988: Man in the Mirror
Lan Club, the toilets…

1988: Dirty Diana
According to my Insider’s Guide Mandarin Phrasebook, “dirty” is “zang” in Mandarin and that is pretty close to “zing” so I’m going with the pretty much now-forgotten Zing by Doodoo. Also “doodoo” sounds dirty. (See The Poop on Doodoo.)

1991: Black or White
Chocolate, because it comes in both colors.

1995: You Are Not Alone
Tun, Friday, midnight…

Finally, try to catch DJ Chunky the next time he plays in our fair city. He is a big MJ fan and I would wager he will spin a few extra songs when he gets out the vinyl (and, yes, he does have Smooth Criminal).

Oregon wine tasting events are few and far between in Beijing, but this Friday Sequoia Cafe (map) will have five wines from this northwestern state, including a pinot noir, a pinot gris, and a Sokol Blosser Evolution that is made with nine grape varieties. The tasting starts at 6:30 PM, costs RMB150, and includes snacks. Call Frank “Pittsburgh has not one but two championships this year” Siegel at 13701-178-073 to reserve a spot.

An offshoot of the China National Sommelier Competition, a ‘junior sommelier‘ session will be held in Beijing on July 5 (and in Shanghai on July 6). Writes the Asia Wine Institute, the three-hour session aims at “less experienced wine service staff, or simply F&B professionals looking to upgrade their knowledge in wine service” and covers everything from serving skills (tip: never remove a cork with your teeth) to pronunciation of wine terms (I imagine Gruner Veltliner made this list). It starts at 1 PM and costs RMB200. To join, download this form and send it to Francesca Xu at Francesca.xu@asia-businessgroup.com /010-5828-7720.

Arguably the best annual wine event for consumers in Beijing, the Hilton wine fair is slated for November 9. The trade portion of the event will be in the morning, with consumers getting a shot at trying hundreds of wines during the afternoon at the hotel (map). Good news: Sopexa will host its Bordeaux Grand Cru tasting on November 18 – last year both events were on the same day.

See also: The Hilton Food & Wine Experience: Ten thoughts