A Drink With: Michael Ohlsson, Owner, Dada

A Drink With ... is a regular magazine column in which we ask Beijing personalities to tell us about their drinking habits and liquid preferences.

Who would you most like to go out drinking with?
Jesus Christ. That dude turns water into wine. Babe magnet. Perfect wingman. Plus he'd have some interesting stories.

If you could only imbibe one drink for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. My favorite California beer. You can't get it in China. We've asked, they said not until the quality control gets better here. Ouch.

How old were you when you started drinking?
Hmm, on a regular basis, to get drunk, I guess 15. It probably wasn't until I was 21 that I started drinking more for taste, than just a means to an end – getting drunk.

Tell us about the first time you were drunk.
Small house party. Vodka and orange juice. Had a few quick and didn't feel anything, until I stood up, and it was like, whoooaaaa this is awesome!

Tell us about the last time you were drunk.
I think the night we had DJ Zinc playing at Dada. I walked him back to the hotel after his gig and was talking all sorts of nonsense, bawdy tales, kind of embarrassing, then fell off my bike on Nanluogu Xiang on the way back to the bar, in front of a group of hot chicks. It was obvious that I was watching them, not the road.

What was your first drink?
Warm brandy, when I was around eight years old. Mom gave me some cause I had an upset stomach.

What’s the dumbest thing you’ve done while drunk?
I puked on Richard Branson, just a few hours after getting hired by Virgin. I went into the office the next day real sheepish, "eh, do I still have the job?"

Where’s the dumbest place you’ve gone drinking?
Full Moon Party in Thailand. Never again.

You're hosting a cocktail party – what are you making?
Herb Caen Martini. He was an old newspaper writer in San Francisco, and famously snobby about his martini's. My grandfather made them right. Blue cheese stuffed olives, vodka not gin, and a splash of olive juice, keep it dirty.

We're at the bar – what are you having?
I'm very moody with my drink of choice. Depends on the weather, the company, the music. I never have beer or tall drinks after dinner. Never stout beer in hot weather. Red wine only with food. Lately I've been drinking our cranberry mojitos, but with vodka instead of rum. We use real fresh cranberries, which is pretty lofty for a dive bar.

What kind of drink are you?
Pinot Noir – surprising and mysterious and complex, each sip seems a little bit different, but easy drinking.

Could you organize a piss-up in a brewery?
Eh ... isn't that what breweries are for?

What’s your golden rule of drinking?
I'm kind of a traditionalist. I like the etiquette of having rounds with friends and taking turns paying for them. And cheers only once, not every sip, that's annoying.

What’s your favorite drink? Has your favorite drink changed over time?
Sure, I go through phases. Vodka martinis are my safety zone, I'm always in the mood for a good one. There are few other drinks that are savory, I'm not into sweet drinks.

Where’s your favorite place to go drinking?
Probably the Latin American Club in San Francisco.

What are your secret watering holes?
I actually really like going to anonymous, generic hotel bars, especially with a view of the city. Not hip hotels. Places you know you won't run into anyone you know, there's zero expectations, and you can sort of pretend you're in any place in the world.

Celebrate Dada’s one-year anniversary with Michael on Aug 17.