Charlie Chaplin Bar Is Far From Clumsy Cocktails

Any time you use a celebrity, dead or living, to represent your business, you risk it seeming a bit contrived. Obviously the Chaplin estate had no say in the matter, but this is pretty much where our qualms ended, as luckily there were no exploding cigars, seltzer waters to the face or other slapstick shenanigans to deal with, only delicious cocktails at this new Sanlitun bar.
 

What Charlie Chaplin Bar is doing correctly begins with the ambiance, featuring numerous antiques and a warm amber glow that was definitely to our liking. While the speakeasy-style bar has been blowing up for the past two years, we are getting a little tired of this cookie cutter trend. This being said, Chaplin’s is doing it a fair bit better than the others.
 

Now on to the drinks. First off, since we’ve been on a little bit of a tiki binge, we asked for a rum-based tropical drink. The main barman, Nick, came up with 30 Years of Fun (RMB 80), a flashy display of Polynesian flair accompanied with a side of bitter melon, which we assume was put there as a garnish because it did nothing to benefit the cocktail. The drink was on the sweet side, which was to be expected, and gave us a cool island vibe. Next up was the gin fizz (RMB 80), which is pretty standard but exactly what we needed, featuring a cool citrus bite to purge that bitter melon taste from our mouths. Just a classic drink made to textbook specifications, with mid to top-shelf spirits.
 

The bartender previously worked at W Hotels in Taipei and in Beijing, so he is very familiar with the concept of hospitality. This matched with the fact that he’s not afraid to experiment with flavors, or confined to a menu, makes this a good and intimate option any day of the week.

Charlie Chaplin Bar
Daily 7pm-2am. 27 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang District (134 8885 3994)
朝阳区三里屯北区27号

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Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com

Photo: Kipp Whittaker