X 25: Baijiu Cocktails at The W Hotel

Underneath all the shine and sparkle of the W Hotel, the new luxury boutique digs at the southeast corner of Jianguomen, is a single, no-nonsense gin martini. Its two speared, plump olives are the size of cherries, large enough to hold up to a near goblet of Beefeater 24 and vermouth. Drink more than one, and the saxophone player at X 25 may start looking fuzzy. Head bartender Alex Xie’s creation may even have what it takes to convert James Bond to gin, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

What is certain at X 25 is that Xie is bent on parading Chinese culture at one of the most anticipated international hotels of the year, and he does it with a spirit that hits hardest: baijiu. Xie boldly bends the rules of erguotou in his twist on the Piña Colada, amping up the coconut so that sippers only detect a light bite in a surprisingly smooth drink. Alex has two baijiu cocktails on the menu for now, and plans to host events featuring his own baijiu infusions.

The prices, even with a 15 percent service charge, hover around RMB 80 for most good-value cocktails, a bargain when considering that X 25 provides guests a spectacular view of the old Beijing city wall and the swarm of headlights creeping down Jianguomen to the city center.

Even with all the twists on tradition, X 25 has managed to break free of the commonplace Sichuan peppercorn and chili peanut bar snack, making a trade for Doritos. We aren’t complaining.

X 25
Sun-Thu 8pm-2am, Fri-Sat 8pm-3am. No.2 Jianguomennan Dajie, Chaoyang District (6515 8855)
朝阳区建国门南大街2号
500m south of Jianguomen (Line 1)
 

Photos: Courtesy The W Hotel

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mtnerror wrote:

What is a "gin martini"? Martinis already have gin as their alcoholic base.

The word "gin" here is to distinguish the classic gin-based martini to the just-as-common vodka martini.

Martinis originated as gin and vermouth but later the term martini is just as commonly applied to vodka-based drinks, so simply stating "martini" now fails to distinguish, linguistically, whether the author is referring to gin- or vodka- based drinks.

martini http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/martini
[mahr-tee-nee]
noun, plural martinis.
1. a cocktail made with gin or vodka and dry vermouth, usually served with a green olive or a twist of lemon peel.

From various sites about drinking around the internet, such as http://cocktails.about.com/b/2008/03/22/vodka-or-gin-martini.htm:

"A martini is traditionally made with gin, and therefore if you are wanting its vodka containing cousin you should request a vodka martini. However such is the popularity of the vodka martini that if you order a martini at a bar, many bartenders will now ask whether you would like vodka or gin. Many people think the vodka martini came first and would be surprised to learn that it was superseded by gin. Whilst Gin is making quite the revival at the moment, I think that the vodka martini will still be outselling the traditional martini overall."

"When I was a bartender, I'd say about 90% of martini drinkers order vodka martinis. It's become so popular that most flavored martinis are made with vodka as well"

"Today, the Vodka Martini is as popular as the classic Gin Martini which it was adapted from. It is the drink of choice for many who want a clean, dry Martini without the aromatic botanicals of gin and, just as with its predecessor, can be adapted to suit the drinker's personal taste."

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What is a "gin martini"? Martinis already have gin as their alcoholic base.