2011 is over. And like a character in the schmaltziest of Hollywood romantic comedies, we're so over it. All there is for us to do is go home, put our pajamas on, get out a big bar of Bourneville chocolate, and sob into our Horlicks as we reminisce about all the happy times we spent with 2011. It's been a good year, hasn't it? Let's find out as we look back on the drinks, venues and crazes that have made drinking fun in Beijing this year. (And if you're still looking for ideas for December 31, get a look at our roundup of New Year's parties before it's too late!)

Home-brewing
It had been done before, yes, but Great Leap turned microbrewing into an all-out craze this year. Yes, you'd have liked the beer a couple of degrees cooler in the summer, but you kept drinking it. By the end of the year, everyone - even the Beijinger - was making their own beer. Fortunately, not everyone was making their own beer with RMB 104 kits bought on Taobao. It may be some time before we see the Beerjinger on Beijing's taps. 

Bourbon and Rye
With their old-school cocktail menu, Apothecary helped send out the message that Beijing wanted more bourbon and rye. Nola and Home Plate played their part with their emphasis on great American food and drink. This year, distributors like Dxcel obliged, bringing in the likes of Templeton Rye and Fighting Cock and paving the way for happy times ahead for conoisseurs of American whiskey. Jack Daniels, your days in Beijing are numbered.

The Old Fashioned
If there was more bourbon and rye around in 2011, the drink you were most likely to be ordering it in was the Old Fashioned. The fact that Don Draper drinks them in Mad Men can't have done this drink's fortunes any harm either. Our favorite is in Mokihi. Or try making one yourself with this recipe.

Vedett
This blonde Belgian beer took the hip kids of Gulou by storm this year, mainly (I think) due to its gorgeous packaging and genius marketing (if you're not sure what I'm talking about, have a browse around their website). By the end of the year, Vedett's ubiquity was in danger of becoming a little tedious, but all said and done it's not a bad little beer.

Magners
The arrival of Magners in the summer thrilled style-savvy members of the British and Irish communities, who relished the chance to drink cider out of an ice cube-filled pint glass just like they do in the old country (but only if said cider is Magners). Another huge victory for marketing. Meanwhile, everyone else looked on, bemused.

Drinking in shops
This was already going on long before Paradise CVS/Heaven Supermarket opened in the summer, but until that venue opened the fun was largely restricted to beer. Not only did Paradise CVS have a few tables, they also had plastic cups and sacks of ice cubes with which you could sit down and make a night of it with almost any liquor known to man, woman or beast. They even had a terrace. Life in Beijing would never be the same again.

Migas
The Spanish bar-restaurant dominated most people's summer thanks to their free-entry policy for most parties, ability to draw a regular crowd, party-friendly tunes from the likes of Funk Fever, Neon, Patrick Yu and Usami, and - most of all - one of the biggest and best-looking rooftops in town. The view wasn't bad either. Our only complaint was the wait to get in the lift, but many of you seemed to think it was well worth it. Ah, but when the summer ended, the fun was all over, you say. Not so: The Migas lads have spent the last month or so creating a whole new bar out of the restaurant space, and they'll be giving that its first run-out on New Year's Eve. If that's not the best way of saying "This was our year," I don't know what is.

Spark
The Taiwan-based superclub's Beijing outpost lorded it over all comers in the latter stages of 2011, at least when it came to attracting a well-heeled, easy-on-the-eye crowd.

Chinese wine
OK, so Chinese wine is still a niche interest, even for Chinese wine drinkers, but with Gansu's Jiabeilan winning in Decanter's wine awards in London, and Chinese wines performing credibly in Beijing Boyce's recent wine tasting contests, there are encouraging noises.

Bar and Club Awards
For all the bars who didn't get a mention here and deserved one, you probably already got some recognition in our 2011 Reader Bar & Club Awards - take a look at the full list of results here.

Picking ten drinks, venues and trends hardly scratches the surface. I haven't even mentioned the electronic music scene - at times in 2011, we seemed lucky to have one at all, but with clubs like Lantern and Haze open again and promoters and DJs working tirelessly to keep things going, there are exciting times ahead in 2012.

I also didn't mention many of the bar managers, bartenders, distributors, great drinks and great people who make Beijing one of the best places in the world to go out. You didn't need me to, because you know it and I know it. Go out this weekend and have a drink to all of them, and to yourselves. 2011's over and done with - see you in 2012.

PHOTO: Sky News