Beijing crushes it in the grassroots craft beer scene, far surpassing its other first-tier city counterparts that are only recently starting to catch up. Yet, when it comes to craft cocktails, many were once forced to choose between vibe and value, flavor and fad or complexity and complexion, always sacrificing one for the other.
Yet, in the past few years, to the shock of die-hard Shanghai bar scene fans, the Beijing craft cocktail culture is sneakily stepping up its game, with a handful of mixologists leading the pack.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That s
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hutong bars, Sanlitun bars and up-and-coming Qingnian Lu area bars all have a distinct feel, so we picked one area and went to town, literally, uncovering our favorite cocktails the area has to offer. Without furdo ado, here’s what wowed us:
Gallery, the New Bar By DaliDali, Expands On Their Winning Formula of Classic Cocktails With Creative Twists Jan 1, 2021 4:30 pm | 3 comments | 264 reads
If you read our 2020 Year in Review Restaurants round-up, then you’ll know that despite the trials, tribulations, and general volatility of this year, Beijing’s F&B scene was as resilient as ever. And that resilience carried all the way through to the very end, as last Thursday, Dec 24, saw the grand opening of yet another new bar,
Gallery, located just off Gulou Dongdajie.
Gallery is a swanky cocktail, whisky, and wine joint opened by Lao “Lincoln” Hu, the brains behind Andingmen’s DaliDali (check out our review here). And it doesn’t take long before stepping into Gallery’s foyer to see the connection, as guests are greeted by an imposing three-dimensional visage of the brand’s patron saint, Salvador Dali. What’s more, much like their flagship location, the walls