Beijing Boyce

UPDATE: There is a concert at Workers Stadium tomorrow (Saturday), but Fubar management tells me patrons can come to the bar via the east gate from 8 PM. Other news: 1) Happy hour will be extended t0 11 PM; 2) Any Girl in Tech can get a Fubar T-shirt for only RMB50; 3) Word has it tequila shots will go for RMB10 (I’ll confirm this in the morning).

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When I think of where Girls in Tech should drink after the launch of its China branch tomorrow afternoon, I think of Fubar. Why? Because if any place has a shortage of females, it is that one, and because maybe some of them could figure out how to dim those Close Encounters of the Third Kind lights above the bar.

Plus, Fubar makes potent drinks, the kind of drinks girls in tech need after a hard day of rewiring computers, splicing fibre optics, laying underseas cables, readjusting satellite orbits, or whatever it is they do. (By the way, I think they should make a field trip to my Mom’s house for an example of Girls Not in Tech: she still uses a rotary telephone, great fun when I try to confirm a flight back to Beijing and am asked to press seven.)

As chance would have it, Fubar is exactly where GIT–which bills itself as having tech appeal–will be holding its “after party.” It will include a GIT cocktail that I will introduce at the launch that afternoon. The cocktail is the result of book research, taste testing, online research, taste testing, discussions with bar experts, taste testing, sourcing a special ingredient, taste testing, and, finally, taste testing. The final product has been described as “deceptively strong“.

The party is open to anyone and will be held at Fubar (map) tomorrow (Saturday) night from 8 PM to 10 PM, though I imagine it will go longer. Happy hour prices will be in effect.

On Monday, I will post the GIT cocktail recipes for the alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions as well as a list of the collaborators on this project.

The only tech girl to brave Fubar so far...

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Drei Kronen 1308 doesn’t believe it doing things small: witness its three floors, the massive copper tanks behind the bar, the brewery in the car park below. Now it has the biggest World Cup banner I have yet to see. If they decide to do two-for-one home brew for the tournament, I just might stop by to see Ghana beat Germany.

For more World Cup venues, see this post.

For me, the words molecular gastronomy evoke the image of a chef reducing an entire herd of cows to a teaspoon of foam, dolloping it on a sliver of envirobiodynamorganically farmed seaweed, and calling it his twist on “surf and turf.” Yeah, there is some merit in this style of cooking, but there is also a lot of hype. It’s kind of like how people get excited when anyone with a Michelin star—or three—comes to town. You obviously need to know something about cooking to get such a star, but it doesn’t mean I’ll like that foam better than my Mom’s scalloped potatoes. Frankly, the only foam I want is atop my beer.

Which brings me to the point, namely, that a beer made in cooperation with chef Ferran Adria from Spain’s El Bulli, arguably the world’s most famous restaurant and one associated with molecular gastronomy, is now available in Beijing. The beer is  made by Estrella Damm and called Inedit, is distributed by Dxcel, and should be at restaurants such as Carmen, Salt, Le Sushi, and Room by now. It comes in a 750 ml bottle and the promotional materials say it is designed to pair with food, including those with flavors–such as vinegar–that can be a challenge for wine.

I have tried this beer twice: once a few weeks ago at Sequoia Cafe and once during the Beer Jing event organzied last year by Dxcel, City Weekend, and Danger Doyle’s. I found it light and refreshing, even a little spritzy, with mostly citrus flavors but also some vegetable and licorice ones. And it had foam, pouring with a nice frothy head. All in all, this beer reminded me of Hoegaarden. For other opinions, check out this post on Beer Advocate, where the scores are all over the place.

Inedit makes an appearance at Beer Jing.