Delicate New Cocktails With House-Made Gins and Bitters Highlights of Botany’s Autumn Menu

Yes, we are back at Botany for a tasting of the new cocktail menu, you can’t blame them for shaking up the seasonal menu again with seven delicate cocktails (and funny names). Opened merely a year ago, Botany has become one of our favorite cocktail bars, thanks to the mastermind Frankie Zou, whose signature Black Truffle Marini (RMB 120) won him The Diplomático World Tournament (DWT) mainland China section for rum-based cocktails in 2017 (as we mentioned here). To be honest, going back to Botany always requires some courage, but not because the dinks are no good – on the contrary, they are so delicious that we doubt if we even deserve them.

After walking through the gloomy, chilly street, then up to the 12th floor of Yoolee Plaza and opening the door, you feel as though you have entered a totally different world – a vivid bar with leather stools, fragrant fresh flowers, and relaxing jazz music, and two professionals working meticulously behind the bar. We tried some tasters from the new menu, including the Planters Martini (RMB 98), with a horseradish vodka base. It was savory and rich, reminding us of gazpacho thanks to its celery roots, vermouth blanco, hibiscus bitters, and a pickled olive. The Gooseberry Fizz (RMB 98) was a very floral and aromatic high ball with Zou’s house-brewed Citronnade Gin, featuring sous vide gooseberry, elderflower syrup, lemon juice, egg white, coconut milk, and soda water.

We enjoyed the To Be A Better Man (RMB 98), a flamingo-hued concoction of Primo vodka and three house-made bitters (kumquat, grapefruit, and pipestone), rimmed with sea salt to stimulate layers of zesty citrus flavors, balancing the bitterness. The real star, though, was the Huang Shu Lang (RMB 98), literally translating to "weasel," which was popular at a cocktail party at the Polish Embassy in September. Just like a weasel, this drink was complex and cunning, with tangy house-made rhubarb gin, and sweet, fruity aromas of maraschino and pink guava. Its Chartreuse yellow liqueur brought herbal tones, complemented by a dash of house-made black forest bitters.

Regulars don’t worry, they've kept their popular signature cocktails on the menu, such as Black Truffle Martini, Tokyo Bay, Such a Good Thyme, Thai Boxer, Friday Night, and Sangfroid No.2. You may have noticed that, expanding his apothecary experiments, Frankie Zou has added four new house-made bitters to his 11 varieties, three whiskeys, vermouth, cider, and ginger ale, and recently he has begun distilling and brewing his own gins, which have become the base of half the cocktails here.

RMB 98-120 for the experience of a delicate cocktail is totally worth it. If you are looking for something straight and neat, there are over three pages of whiskeys to choose from, as well as gin and other liquors. Downside? Drinks are so addictive that you tend to drink a lot, but I would say it’s a perfect place to burn half your salary. Forget the real world, just sip a late-night drink, overlook the splendid sea of light in Sanlitun, and enjoy this moment.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos: Tracy Wang