ecns [expanded by feedex.net]: D&M; Bar

ecns [expanded by feedex.net]

ecns

D&M; Bar
http://www.ecns.cn/experience/2013/08-13/77061.shtml
Aug 13th 2013, 07:59



2013-08-13 16:59 Web Editor: Wang YuXia




Beijing.s bartender community is a little village of its own, and the juiciest piece of gossip right now is about two respected bartenders who have struck out on their own to create a bar that will excite the city.s mixology fanatics. Vincent Guo, from Apothecary and Ala House, has teamed up with Jerry Zheng from Twilight and The Malt to lay the foundations for D&M Bar. The letters, apparently, come from their Chinese names: they.re translated as .Dragon and Mountain., which sounds more like a pub frequented by attendees of a local Renaissance fair than an upscale Beijing cocktail joint.


It could just as easily stand for .Drinks and Malts.. There are over 200 bottles of amber whisky lining the back wall, which belies a focus on cocktail classics. The mixology skills clearly benefit from the pair.s previous workplaces. The terrific old fashioned (70RMB) is made just like Ala House.s, where they set the orange peel alight before extinguishing it in the top-shelf whisky for a burnt citrusy tang. That drink.s a champion â� making the trek south worth our while. Meanwhile the perfect Manhattan (70RMB) and the sweet, lemony Tom Collins had us feeling like we had walked in on a Mad Men shoot.


The menu is divvied up by alcohol base: gins, whiskeys, tequilas. However, our best drinks came straight from the bartender.s suggestions. Our B&B (70RMB) completely ignores the traditional brandy recipe to produce an equally palate-blasting mixture. The Tanqueray gin and bourbon duo initially had us questioning his mettle, but boy, did it work: the herbal base combined with the sweetness of the bourbon was an ideal concoction for a sweltering day. Others were equally well presented and enjoyed: a Highland cooler (60RMB) was a nice, light spritzer with a noticeable splash of whisky. These guys know their liquor.


But good drinks aren.t the only thing borrowed from their previous bars. D&M.s general feel is too similar to plenty of other Beijing cocktail joints: a speakeasy with intimate seating and a dapper bartender stirring up textbook classic drinks. The cocktails are great, but why not something new? We.d love to see more places that buck the throwback trend, whether with innovative drinks, or hip surroundings that wow. That.s where bartenders shine â� in craftsmanship and creativity, not just reproducing masterworks. Otherwise, it can easily get boring.


D&M is great example of the ongoing .Shuangjing renaissance.; there certainly aren.t any other cocktail bars of this grade south of Guomao, and before D&M it was necessary to find some wheels to get a good buzz. For everyone else, it.s hard to imagine travelling to somewhere so regional, which means that seats should be wide open for regulars. It.s a great neighbourhood cocktail spot for the off-work crowd, and fills a need Shuangjing probably didn.t even realise it had.


Details


Open 4pm-2am daily


Address Number 103, Building 5, Shuanghuayuan Nanli, Guanghua Bei Yijie, Chaoyang district




You've got to raise a glass in respect to the owners of The 5 Point, which recently opened its doors down an alley round the back of the Cloud Nine shopping mall at Zhongshan Park.






Live show 7 nights a week! Cotton Club has the distinction of being the premier jazz bar in Shanghai.







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