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: