Beijing Cocktail Icon Q Bar Closes

Former Beijinger Reader Bar and Club Awards Bar of the Year winner Q Bar, instrumental in developing Beijing's cocktail-making culture, quietly closed for good earlier this month after eight years.

Beijing Boyce first posted the news to his Facebook page earlier this afternoon and we later confirmed with owners Echo Sun and Mike Dardzinski that the venue was in fact down for the count.

"Sad to hear news Q Bar is closed and there are no plans to reopen. I spent a lot of time at that place, particularly in its early days, when Q ranked as one of the best – if not the best – cocktail bars in our fair city. Add that stunning deck and it became a no-brainer when I considered places to take guests or to just hang out with friends," Boyce wrote.

Founded by former First Cafe bartenders Echo Sun and George Zhou, Q Bar's spot atop the Eastern Inn hotel south of Sanlitun Bar Street quickly earned a reputation for fine cocktails made with painstaking care by Sun and Zhou.

In the process the two were critical forces in raising the profile of bartending in the city, helping transition it from the early days of 10-kuai Beijing Beer drafts and glasses of Vodka-Red Bull, to 50-kuai martinis.

Q Bar pulled in our Best Cocktails award in 2007 before ascending to the top in 2008 with Bar of the Year to add to their Best Cocktail awards. Zhou was named Best Bartender in 2009 before departing to open George's at the Workers Stadium, and Touch in Courtyard Four (which later closed).

Q Bar in recent years remained a highlight on Beijing's cocktail circuit, but with George gone and Echo spending more of her time on bigger projects, the bar no longer could rely on the talents of the two mixmasters that its reputation had been built on.

Fans of Q Bar may miss the location, but its owners are still involved with Q Mex, which has earned a reputation of its own with its authentic Mexican food menu and list of impressive cocktails. In fact, you might want to head over there tonight for half-price nachos and quiz night ... or for a nice intro to their drinking culture, head over for their 2-for-1 Margaritas and Mojitos on Tuesdays.

Photo: Courtesy of Q Bar