Beijing Boyce

An inside source says The Rickshaw beer pong champions plan to challenge their counterparts at Pyro Pizza to a match that some observers are already saying would rival last year’s Olympics. Beer pong is a sport that  requires a fine balance between drinking ability and hand-to-eye coordination, with studies showing top players have superior “fast twitch” muscles, particularly in the elbow area. The source says a represenative of The Rickshaw team will deliver a hand-written challenge to Pyro to play the match in a neutral location, with The Bird’s Nest seeming an ideal spot. More details to follow…

Because the back-end of this blog was as accessible this week as a front-row seat in tomorrow’s October 1 parade, I have been posting more on sibling site Grape Wall of China. Here are a few recent post that might interest wine imbibers who read this site…

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Sour grapes: When it comes to poor Chinese wine, don’t shoot the wine maker

“The past few months, I have been lucky enough to visit wineries along the northern swath of China – in Xinjiang, Ningxia, Shanxi, and Hebei. One thing I notice: the wines made by many producers do not reflect the skill of the wine makers.” I note three issues wine makers face, including unripe grapes, too-high yields, and the prospect of blending in imported bulk wine, and then explain how the nature of China’s consumer market allows it to happen.

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By bulk, by bottle: Is Chile the key to changing China’s wine scene?

A random thought: Could Chile be the key to shifting the China wine market? The idea: Roughly 55 percent of the imported bulk wine entering China the last three years hailed from Chile; this is being blended with local wine and bottled under Chinese labels; this means consumers buying these wines are getting a “taste of Chile“; and when these seek to buy cheaper imported imported wines, those from Chile are a top option. The point? Chilean wines stand to offer the average consumer a combination of familiarity (“Hmmm, this kind of tastes like [enter big brand name], only better”) and price (“It’s not that much more expensive”). See the article for more details.

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Drinker beware: Canadian wine label controversey holds lessons for China

Most consumers are unaware that many “Chinese” wines they find in supermarkets, restaurants, and elsewhere include imported bulk wine. The amount of bulk wine in recent years is somewhere between 10 percent and 40 percent, those numbers ranging from official statistics to estimates based on the double-counting of local wine production. Blending imported wines with Chinese ones tends to improve overall quality, but the issue is that domestic labels rarely indicate this foreign content. This post looks at how a recent wine labeling controversy in Canada holds lessons for China.

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No worries: Australia targeting China wine market at every level

China has maintained a steady presence as the number two source of bottled wine by volume in China, taking 20 percent to 22 percent of the market the past five years. It has also been striving of late to change its image from being a maker of good but relatively cheap wine to one with a diverse range of styles and premium wines. And now, in 2009, it has emerged as the second biggest source of bulk wine for China.

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In mid-July, a group of three beer enthusiasts gathered at my apartment for a beer tasting led by Xenon Yuan, author of the new blog ChinaBeerGeek. We tried about a dozen pale ales, about half of them available in China and the rest hand-carried in by Yuan. We tried them against a sharp cheddar and a blue cheese. Here are Yuan’s tasting notes (for more details, such as the differences between pale ale and India pale ale (IPA), or between American and European interpretations of these styles, see his blog). I’ll post an interview with Yuan on Monday about Beijing’s best beer bars, how to protect your brew at home, and more. Here are some of his comments from the tasting…

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“The beers available in Beijing were as follows:

“Greene King IPA, 3.6% alcohol by volume (ABV). Not an authentic IPA, but actually an “ordinary session bitter”. (UK)

“Morland’s Old Speckled Hen, 5.2% ABV. Now owned by Greene King, but maintains a separate yeast strain. See full report for my warnings about clear glass bottles.

“Fuller’s London Pride, 4.7% ABV. Another classic English pale ale.

“American brewers tend to use hops that are a cross between traditional European varieties and an indigenous wild variety native to the Americas. These new hops produce flavors and aromas that are described as “citrusy” or “piney”, unlike the “grassy” or “earthy” qualities common to their European cousins. Out of this came a whole new incarnation of pale ale.

“To introduce this style, I chose North Coast Brewing Co’s ACME California Pale Ale, imported to China through the American Craft Beer Partners by DXCEL. 5% ABV

“When we moved to IPA’s, I started off with Brooklyn Brewery’s East India Pale Ale, again imported by DXCEL and now available in many cities throughout China.

“Aside from these beers, the rest were from my personal stash. They are arguably more “extreme” variations, such as the “double” or “imperial” IPA. (This style in particular was my choice for moving onto the blue cheese, by the way.)

“Again, you can read more about these beers and our encounter with them at my new blog. They are listed below for reference.

• 2009 Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop Ale
• Victory Brewing Co’s HopDevil Ale
• Bear Republic Brewing Co’s Hop Rod Rye
• Southern Tier’s Unearthly IIPA and Oak-Aged Unearthly IIPA
• Stone Brewing Co’s Ruination IPA and Arrogant Bastard Ale

“As should be apparent, this was quite a long night. In the future, I hope to conduct more such tastings, and hopefully with a few more people so as to lessen the burden on our livers. Moreover, I have so many more styles and categories of beer to introduce people to, foods to pair them with, and surprises to reveal.  A whole world awaits, full of new tastes, smells, and flavor possibilities!

City Weekend and beer distributor Dxcel, known best for its Australian and American brews, are teaming up with a dozen Beijing establishments in October for the innaugural Beer Jing festival.

When you drink a Dxcel-distributed beer – say a Brooklyn Lager, Crown, or VB – at one of these dozen spots, you get a stamp in your passport for that place.  Be among the first 20 people to get eight stamps and you will be invited to the Beer Jing party on October 29 at Danger Doyle’s at 7:30 PM*. According to the press release, participants will  “taste some of the most exotic microbrews the world has to offer.”  The doors open to everyone at 9:30 PM and for RMB100 you can drink beer to your liver’s content.

To participate, pick up a “passport” at one of these bars: Danger Doyle’s (map), Rickshaw (map), Kro’s Nest (map), Ned’s (map), Frank’s Place (map), Westside Café, Union Bar and Grill (map), Unconditional Love Coffee (map), The Den (map), Nola, Vineyard Café (map), and Tim’s Texas Barbecue (map).

You can also find good deals on the Beer Jing brews during October at Kro’s Nest every Thursday (five beers for RMB80), at The Den every day (RMB25), and at Nola where prices range from RMB30 for VB to RMB26 for Blue Star. All 12 spots will offer a 20 percent discount on these beers during the “Beer Jing weekend”, October 16 to 18.

* You need at least eight stamps to qualify. Send a scan of your passport to Lee Mack at leemack@cityweekend.com.cn by October 26.

Every night is ladies night – well, almost – for bar explorer Samantha Ma. Here are her five favorite spots to go in Beijing. (See more top fives here.)

Tun (map): The best ladies night in town! Big drinks to lighten things up, and crazy dancing. A great way to release your stress after a hard week’s work – and free to boot.

Red Moon (map) (the one at the Grand Hyatt, not the one in Sanlitun): Great lounge band that performs Western and Chinese classics, making use of traditional instruments like the erhu and guzheng. And great cocktails!

Salud (map) (Sanlitun): I liked their spiced rums. Sitting outside on a weekend night watching Sanlitun go by is fantastic fun.

Danger Doyles (map): A great bar  and the rooftop is perfect on a nice summer night. The pool table is a little beat up, but there is hardly ever a wait, and they have free pizza on Wednesdays.

Xiu (map): Bejing’s new “it” bar really is nice. An elegant atmosphere, good drinks (although pretty expensive), and great live bands when I’ve been.

Just time to quickly list a few items for this weekend…

The first 80 pints of Guinness are free at Danger Doyle’s (map) from 5:59 tonight as part of the 250th anniversary salute-pour to Arthur Guinness. The free drinks continue, as least for the fairer sex, as ladies night runs from 8 PM to 11:30 PM – the list of select cocktails includes a number of martinis, including mango and lychee.

The Village Grouch might turn into The Village Grin given that a band he has praised – and with a lead singer he says “has one of the most terrifying tattoos I’ve ever seen, and looks like she was down at the wharf last night and won a fist fight – barely” – will perform at 2 Kolegas (map) on Saturday night at 10 PM <- 2 Kolegas web site says 8 PM, while City Weekend say 9 PM, with Propeller opening. That band is DH and the Hellcats and, based on catching them once, it should be a good show.

One of the best wine portfolio tastings of the year is this Saturday as Torres holds its third annual Taste of the Nations. More than 150 wines will be available for sampling. More details here.

As mentioned here, the Australian Football League final will be shown at several bars in Beijing tomorrow. This is your chance to see grown men cry – we’ll know which ones after the final score – into their Crowns, Cascades, and VBs.

Last but not least, a non-bar related event: There will be an exhibition of photos by Luna Zhang, who recently died, at Yugong Yishan (map) on Saturday at 2 PM. I worked with Luna Zhang a few times and she had a knack for catching people’s emotions with her camera.

Before I list some bars that will show the Australian Football League final this Saturday, a quick primer – for the newbies – on rugby terminology:

• Goal: When the ball is kicked through the big posts; worth six points.
• Torpedo kick: A kicked ball that spirals through the air.
• Handball: When a ball is “punched” as a way to pass it to another player.
• Double-dingo ticketyboo: Two players giving high-fives after a score.
• One tinnie too many: A player performing as though he had too much beer the night before.
• Going Dame Edna – Cross-dressing on the field.

(Confession: I made up the last three.)

There will be plenty of tinnies – translation: beers – at Danger Doyle’s (map) and The Den (map) for this 12:30 PM match between the Geelong Cats and St. K.F.C. (about the latter team, I feel obliged to make the “can we call them the Holy Fried Chickens” joke). My mate is a huge Geelong fan, which was doing well in its last finals until I showed up and started rooting for them. At that point, they became the equivalent of a row of camels licking the dew off the rail line just as the Indian Pacific train blows through from Sydney to Perth.

The doors open at 11 PM at Danger Doyle’s, which is holding the party with the Beijing Bombers and Australian Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are RMB250 for members, RMB300 for nonmembers, and that gets all-you-can-drink sodas, wine, Aussie beers, and selected cocktails, as well as all-you-can-eat BBQ.

The Den, as evidenced by the huge tarp inside the place, is also going the all-you-can-swallow route, with a menu of meat pies and beers for RMB100.

Winner of the Miss AFL contest (SMH)

Irish Network China is teaming up with Paddy O’Sheas (map) to say “cheers to 250 years” of Guinness. The celebration starts 8:30 PM, with free pints for the first 90 attendees. See the poster below for more details…

Update: After I posted a link (see below) to his set, DJ Chunky emailed me to explain the equipment he used and the reasons for the songs he chose…

MJ was the king of bootlegs (remixes made without his permission) which endlessly found their way into after hours clubs the last five years. It was as if his songs were made to be mashed up by other people 20 years later and still sound as in your face as before. His notoriety played into this phenomenon and there was always that sharp edge to his songs (that Madonna never had)

I made the mix as a personal retrospective of his music. There are just a handful of his songs in it, the rest are bootlegs of other 80s tunes that for me define and refine the unique sound he introduced from Off The Wall onwards. The mix is made using vinyl records, a pair of dodgy technics turntables and an old two-channel mixer – nothing fancy or hi-tekso. Apologies if you hear some snap, crackle, and pop if you have a listen. And as for his personal life, he had some issues, that’s obvious to all. My opinion about the genesis of his troubles can be found in the last tune, which I left of the track listings so it sits alone.

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Regular contributor DJ Chunky – a veteran of Nanjie, Tun, and Fubar - got out the 80s vinyl this week and mixed his first-ever set for online enjoyment. That means you can enjoy, in the privacy of your own home, music that inspires thoughts of sweaty dancers, racks of shooters, three too many Tsing-taos, people arguing whether Suzie Q or Samanta Fox is more underrated, and massive hangovers. Well, and good beats… it’s always about the good beats.

The link.

The lineup (apologies to DJ Blackie for the lack of ABBA tunes):

1: Destroy Rock and Roll, Mylo
2: Thriller, Michael Jackson
3: West End Girls, Pet Shop Boys
4: Edge of Seventeen, Stevie Nicks
5: Owner of a Lonely Heart, Yes
6: Light My Fire, Stevie Wonder
7: As, Stevie Wonder
8: Say Say Say, Michael Jackson
9: Bette Davis Eyes, Kim Carnes
10: Satellite Of Love, Lou Reed
11. New Sensation, INXS
12. Once In a Lifetime, Talking Heads
13: Urgent, Foreigner
14: She Sells Sanctuary, The Cult

The JW Marriott’s Loong Bar (map) continues its series of “hospitality nights” – aimed at those in the hotel, restaurant, wine, and related sectors – with a South African twist. Tomorrow’s event features free-flow wine from Warwick Estates as well as South African eats such as frikadelle, pumpkin fritters, malva pudding, and monkey gland steaks (they contain neither monkeys nor glands). It also includes a selection of cocktails, craft beers, and a live band. The event is from 9 PM to midnight; entry is RMB150.

I joined a small gathering on Thursday night to sample wines and snacks at Enoteca (map). The Beijing branch of a Shanghai-based wine bar chain, it opened more than a year ago and is doing some fine-tuning. I earlier mentioned Stella is now available, thus making Enoteca a draw for groups that have a person or two who prefer beer to wine. A few more items I learned about on Thursday:

• Any wine by the glass is two for one from 4 PM to 7 PM, Monday to Friday.
• A flight of three wines with three appetizers is RMB88. (Note: These are not full pours, but smaller ones used to compare the wines.)
• After a half-off food deal during August, Enoteca has settled its prices at RMB40 for paninis (five choices), RMB45 for salads (seven choices), and RMB60 for pastas (five choices). Set lunch menus, available from 11 AM to 4 PM and inclusive of a soft drink, range from RMB57 to RMB72.
• The place has live jazz from 8 PM to 11 PM on Thursdays.

The comfortable design and seating at Enoteca have never been an issue. And given the weather, sitting on the deck is pleasant, especially when you have a view of The Mother of All Monitors.

Excuse the baseball reference – I have been reading Ring Lardner lately – but I batted .333 the other night at the Legation Quarter (map) aka Ch’ienmen 23. Because I lost my phone, I had no way to contact the person who invited me to the official opening of Meat & Wine. And because I decided at the last minute to scope out the cocktail “shake off” at Fez, I arrived – with Mr Hao and Ms Hao – to find no tickets left. Crowds to the left of me, smokers – or at least char-broilers – to the right, I ended up with a base hit by swinging around and hustling to Maison Boulud.

I talk to many readers of this blog and there is near-universal acclaim for this place as a dining establishment, in terms of food, service, and ambiance. I also hear tales of the staff going the extra mile. Example: One acquaintance took his young daughter to Maison Boulud for her birthday dinner and she wanted a particular cake not found on the menu. One solution would be to substitute another dessert. Instead, the restaurant ad-libbed and made the sweets she desired. Not surprisingly, this thrilled the birthday girl and her parents are now fans and frequent patrons.

Maison Boulud is also a nice if sedate place to grab a drink. As mentioned elsewhere, I find the atmosphere a bit stuffy – a few ceilings fans for circulation and a slight brightening of the lights might help – but it is hard to top for service and attention to detail. I imagine my snootier friends would call it “civilized.”

I tried the Belgian Touch on Thursday night, with its raspberry beer providing a refreshing edge, though I still prefer the first two cocktails I tried at this place last year – Project 23, a spicy little number, and Bourbon Iced Tea, a refreshing one. But what impresses is the service. We received a welcome aperitif, chamomile-infused Grappa so smooth I would gladly order it on future visits, and a basket of “madelines”, cupcake-like morsels made with lemon, honey, and powdered sugar. As we finished our cocktails, we had a sample of vanilla- and fig-infused whiskey mixed with mashed persimmons and homemade orange-flavored bitters.

Mr Hao and Ms Hao recounted good experiences having dinner and brunch – and grabbing a bite at the ice cream stand stationed until recently out front – at Maison Boulud, thus adding to the list of the people who hold it in high esteem.

Note: Maison Boulud will be closed September 30 to October 3. Until the national holiday passes, it is best to call ahead.

Holy passion fruit, Batman!

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If the Bat Cave had a bar, D Lounge (map) would be it. Even though Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, uses ginger ale to fool everyone into thinking he drinks Champagne, I’m sure Robin likes a good dirty martini. Anyway, D Lounge is reached via a long dim passageway that smells of fresh wood, the place is cavernous, feels subterranean, and evokes a sense of neo-goth via the chandeliers high above. While my first experience at D Lounge left something to be desired, the second made up for it.

D Lounge blends natural elements such as wood and brick with a bar – at the far end – that is flat white and modern. The main space includes lounging areas created from a mishmash of lamps and seats. The bar seats about ten, with a comfort zone both behind the chairs and between the patrons and staff. The staff itself is friendly and efficient, not mention health-conscious given that one bartender told one patron, “You smoke too much.”

The drink list includes 23 whiskeys (though Johnnie Walker Black at RMB55 is a bit much), four shojus (RMB350 to RMB500 per bottle) and five sakes (RMB600 to RMB3000 per bottle), and is indicative of Japanese involvement in the place. Some sections have a same-old, same-old feel and it would be nice if a spot such as this went beyond the typical Champagnes (such as Moet Chandon and Veuve Cliquot) and Cognacs (such as Hennessey) with less common but competitively priced fare.

In any case, we stuck to cocktails on this night and came away pleased. (They cost RMB40 to RMB60, with the vast majority at RMB50.) Ms Hao gave a thumbs up to her shaken margarita and lychee martini, though I found the latter too fruity. Mr Hao called his vodka martini “good”, and while the feijoa vodka-based drink didn’t match his taste, he thought it properly made. My rum martini with burnt orange – a piece of peel is ignited for a second, doused, and then used to rub the rim before being slid into the glass – tasted fine, if a bit too bitter, while the mint julep had plenty of zing and a minty aftertaste. About the Manhattan we tried: it is strong. Overall, our favorite was the passion fruit sour.

With good but not obtrusive music, a spacious and airy layout, tasty drinks, a reasonably efficient staff, and comfortable seating, we all agreed this is a place to visit again.

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One ginger ale too many...

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The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (map) in the 798 art district will hold a three-day event partly in collaboration with elBulli, based in Spain considered among the world’s top restaurants. Master classes will be held on October 28 and October 29, while Beijing-based chefs Brian McKenna of soon-to-open Room (and formerly of Blu Lobster) and Da Dong of the duck restaurant chain of the same name will team up for a “Spanish-inspired” dinner on October 30. Contact Brian McKenna or Valerie Taochy at adriabeijing (at) room-bmk.com for more information to reserve a spot.

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Passing on some info from Jackson Garland of RandomK(e), a band whose first CD I often pop I am moping around the apartment late in the evening and in need of something poppy but not overly peppy to get me started on cleaning the dishes or cranking out 1,000 words. In any case, Garland is also the newest member of Beijing bluegrass band The Redbucks – he plays upright bass – and they have several upcoming gigs, including one with my favorite blues outfit, Black Cat Bone.

Catch The Redbucks with Black Cat Bone at 2 Kolegas (map) on Saturday, September 19, at Jiangjinjiu (map) on September 21, at 2 Kolegas (map) again on Wednesday, September 23, and at Paddy O’Shea’s (map) on Friday, September 25. Garland says to expect, “a mix of bluegrass standards, old time tunes, country ballads and some originals bluegrass songs.” I wonder if “Sunday Morning Sidewalk” by Johnny Cash could be snuggled into one of those categories….

After months of trips, obligations, and general lethargy, I finally got high last Saturday. That is, I joined The Village Grouch and made my first visit to China Bar (map) on the sixty-fifth floor of the Yintai Building. We also dropped into Xiu (map) on the sixth floor. Here is how they stacked up, so to speak…

Drinks: At China Bar, The Village Grouch described his Margarita “boozy” while I found my Manhattan unbalanced. At Xiu, he considered the Long Island tasty, though his favorite is still at Schiller’s. I found my Hua Diao Iced Tea refreshing – honey vodka, gin, rum, huang jiu, Grand Marnier, and Coke – and with a nice edge (then again, I like huang jiu). The cocktail list at Xiu is far more comprehensive than at China Bar.

Prices: At China Bar, our cocktails cost RMB75 each, plus service charge. Apparently, they ran out of one-kuai notes and instead gave us a stack of five-fen coins as change. Classy. At Xiu, our drinks cost RMB70 each, with no service charge. The beer prices are lower at Xiu, while by-the-glass wine prices at both tend to be prohibitive.

Seating: At China Bar, we grabbed low seats at the illuminated bar (too cramped), moved to stools at a small table (too hard), then to high chairs at a table extending from the bar (almost just right). I found the table too narrow and in violation of the arm’s-length rule, namely, that if a stranger directly across from me can comfortably reach out to pick my nose, then the seating is too close.

At Xiu, we sat at the rectangular four-sided bar just inside the door and beneath an arched ceiling. It can seat about 30 people and the bucket chairs are comfortable and at a good height. The bar rail is too high for me, but seemed appropriate for most female patrons, so fair enough. Vents at the bar’s base keep air circulating. Speaking of air, China Bar needs to change theirs – one of the stalest spots that I have visited in recent times.

Service: Given we visited before 9:30 PM and found neither place busy, the staff took their sweet time with the drinks, though at least they tasted good at Xiu. The staff at China Bar was polite and that at Xiu was slightly gregarious, as befitted each venue.

Music: A steady stream of pleasant classic jazz at China Bar, while Xiu featured such discordant sets as “Lost in Love” by Air Supply, “Hysteria” by Def Leppard, and “She’s the One” by Robbie Willaims, with everything from The Spice Girls to Bryan Adams apt to break out.

These comments are based on one visit early in the evening, but even so the sole appeal of China Bar seems to be to give a newcomer a bird’s eye view of the city or have an intimate meeting. At Xiu, the creative décor and drinks, and the seating options that include the bar, the lounge, and two decks, offer broader appeal. This place also offers a different kind of view, namely, the people-watching kind. But as we observed an older male enduring in hitting on a couple of younger females, four guys sharing a bottle of bubbly and a pack of smokes, a trio of ladies out for the night, and so on, it would have been more enjoyable to a different soundtrack.

The Beyonce "Ganbei Defense" (photo: beyonceonline)

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The recent Kanye West-Taylor Swift incident at the Video Music Awards interests me. In short, West came onstage as Swift gave an acceptance speech, took the microphone, and said another nominee – Beyonce – deserved the award. Beyonce, after winning in a different category, then invited Swift onstage to give a belated acceptance speech.

Half my interest is due to the role of Twitter: Entertainers such as Pink and Katy Perry used the technology to lash out at West during the event while ABC tweeted that Barack Obama called him – off the record – “a jackass.”

Half my interest is due to the upcoming Beyonce concert in Wukesong Gymnasium, set for October 23 (see here for ticket sales). Maybe in the spirit of her VMA actions, she can better the show by West earlier this year last year in Beijing, one my friends who attended described as “short“. (Even better, maybe she can accompany me on some of these ganbei dinners I find myself attending and shut down the hosts.)

Also of note, Skid Row will play Star Live on October 2.

(Hat tip to chinabuzz)

I was thinking Uzi. (photo: imagethief.com)

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If the October 1 parade organizers take heed of this post, their event will not only include tanks and soldiers, but also Flying Pigeon bicycles, boys in split pants, a bus load of tourists with Little Red Books, fully armed Fuwa, three-wheeled cycles, a take on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and more. Thanks for all the suggestions. The winner of the laowai baijiu, aka vodka, was selected via a random draw, with regular contributor The Village Grouch making the pick. And the winner is… Naomi.

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See also:
Let’s get tanked! Wish list for the October 1 parade

UPDATE: Due to rehearsals related to October 1, this event will be held on Saturday rather than Friday.

Pinot Brasserie (map) in the JW Marriott will soon close for renovations and then reopen early next year as Nobu, named after Japanese celebrity Nobu Matsuhisa, who will be working closely with the hotel on the new place.

This Friday will see the restaurant’s final cheese and wine event and, as might be expected, will feature a range of cheeses and a tasting of fifteen pinots as well as a BBQ and live French music. There will be big discounts on select bottles of pinot. The event fee is RMB298 per person; RMB198 for cheese and wine club members. See the poster below for details.

I have had good times at Pinot, particularly in that back room that comes complete with its own kitchen, and will never forget one mind-opening dinner with Tim Hanni that inspired the post, “Hate Sauvignon Blanc? Try blaming your childhood.”

After a hard week spent working on my computer screen tan, I met The Village Grouch for a drink last weekend and ended up on a bit of a pub crawl.

D Lounge (map): This spot is on the street linking Salsa Caribe and Tun. The gist of the conversation with a guy at the door at 9:30 PM:

Him: [Moving to block door] “Can I help you?”

Me: “Yeah, we’d like to get a drink.”

Him: “Are you on the guest list?”

Me: “Um, no. But I can understand why having one is important, you know, to keep out the riffraff. You wouldn’t want them to bother the… oh, wait, there isn’t anyone here on a Friday night.

I had the impression D Lounge is a private club, but it appears there was a special event on this night, so I will attempt a second visit. Interesting that a place going for the high-end enters off the migration route of drunk students, wasted expatriates, drug dealers, and grouchy bloggers, among others. Then again, maybe that is part of its appeal…

1949: The former bar 1/5 (map) will reopen as two separate venues, according to an assistant manager that gave us an impromptu tour. Downstairs will continue to be dominated by a long narrow bar, have an extensive Champagne list, and sport a much lighter décor – think whites, creams, and floral patterns. Upstairs will feature a private club – this time think whiskey and cigars – and a décor heavy on flat gray. (By the way, good turnouts at 1949′s Sugar Bar, Duck de Chine, and the outdoor bar that looks like a giant illuminated toilet puck. Even Taverna was almost half full.)

Still seeking our first drink, we walked to Q Bar (map), first passing Tun (map), which was gearing up for another packed ladies night. Success. The Village Grouch had a Gin Tonic and tried to figure out why it tasted so good compared to his homemade concoctions using the same gin and tonic water. (It’s the ice, baby.) I went for my old standby, the Alfonso Special, which offers good bang for the buck.

Next stop, The Saddle Cantina (map), where four-fifths of Black Cat Bone were enjoying drinks on the deck. I often wonder why the owners didn’t put sibling establishment Side Saddle downstairs, which is usually empty, instead of on Nali’s south side, and thus save on rent and staff expenses. More foot traffic and exposure, I guess, but at least in my case, I used to go to Saddle Cantina for food and drinks, but now almost always go to Side Saddle, grab a burrito, and skip the beverages. Anyway, the deck remains pleasant and provides a view of the courtyard, where the tables opposite Saddle, Let’s Burger, soon-to-open Let’s Seafood, and Ciro’s Pomodoro were once again pretty much full.

Salud (map): We met Mr. Hao and Ms. Hao here and dipped into the homemade rum. I had the “Salud special“, though given it has 11 spices, I am renaming it the KFC shooter. These are dangerous drinks, given how big they are and how fast they go down.

Fubar (map): Where else can I get a honey vodka and ginger ale for RMB20? While the decor feels unfinished and the light above the bar reminds me of a combination of giant tanning booth and taillight, it is hard to beat this place for value. (Note: Fubar will close from September 15 to October 2.)

Maggie’s (map): This tends to be a love-it-or-hate-it place, but if Beijing bars were judged on lighting, staff efficiency, general design,and clean toilets, it would rank among the top five in Beijing. For example, the focused lights on the shelves of bottles that run above the circumference of the bar, the softer lights that expose the ceiling beams painted with traditional Chinese scenes, and the sparing use of neon and motion lighting all combine to provide a soft texture. I’m curious as to who put this all together…