Drink Up Before Chowing Down With These Excellent Restaurant Cocktails

Beijing’s classier lounges by no means have a lockdown on the capital’s cocktail scene. This is especially true as billowing paychecks place the average price of drinks at many such spots above RMB 100 each, leaving an ever-widening gap in the market for more fun and affordable concoctions. That shortfall is steadily being filled not only by bars but also increasingly by restaurants. Below, you’ll find some of our favorite venues that prioritize affordable mixology right alongside appetizing meals.  
 

Pebbles

Ray Heng has great taste and an eye for talent. The owner of Pebbles became such a big fan of celebrity chef Rick Bayless and his innovative Frontera Grill Mexican eatery, that he eventually worked under and was mentored by the star restaurateur, before unleashing what he learned on hungry patrons at his own Pebbles restaurant on Wudaoying. And while drinks are by no means his forte, he has found a talented consultant to hone Pebbles' cocktail menu: Henry Timberlake, the mustache-twirling dynamo who has worked at numerous bars and restaurants across town.

Timberlake, a Texan who's had his fair share of Mexican grub, has whipped up some gobsmackingly good cocktails abounding with Mexican flourishes, from the Oaxacan Old Fashioned (made with Mezcal instead of the standard bourbon, agave nectar, and Mexican bitters), to the dessert-worthy sugary Boozy Coffee Milkshake (consisting of Patron Coffee Tequila, espresso, Kahlúa, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream), and the Dos-A-Rita (a house frozen margarita in a humongous chalice of a glass with an entire bottle of Dos XX jutting out upside down from the top).
 

Rollbox

Aside from their hunger-quelling breakfasts, banh mi, and salads, Rollbox also has a number of reasonably priced and flavorful cocktails to lure you in after-hours. Recipes come courtesy of Garth Wilson of Mao Mao Chong fame. Their negroni is to die for;  hefty enough to leave you buzzed while also boasting a rich, bitter and smooth flavor. But our favorite is the RMB 62 chocolate coffee cocktail (pictured both directly above and in the lead image) with its spot-on sweet and bitter combination and an alluring aroma thanks to a heaping of Vietnamese coffee.
 

Hulu

Aside from its light and bright eats, Hulu’s terrace and reasonably priced drinks menu also make it a fun spot for imbibing. Among the highlights are the tropically inclined Hulu Colada (made with pineapple, rum, and coconut that comes in a golden pineapple goblet for RMB 58), and their negroni (which has a zesty orange twist for RMB 58; pictured).
 

Bistro 3

This one's a slight stretch to include with the others because owner Paul Hsu started off with astoundingly good high-end cocktail joint Infusion Room at this Courtyard 4 location. However, since opening the Bistro 3 restaurant alongside the lounge, Hsu has held his own in terms of high end eats like foie gras spring rolls (RMB 85), sesame slathered chicken (RMB 70), and wagyu tartare (RMB 95) prepared in an unfussy fashion (check out our review when it opened about a year ago). You can eat and drink at the bar or in the restaurant section, and cocktails like Rainbow Soda (made with butter, vanilla, juniper, lemon, fizz and beetroot; RMB 90), and the Hay Roast Sorbet (made with gin, green tea, smoky plum, Dashi vermouth, and grapefruit sorbet; RMB 100) are richly flavored and dynamically textured enough to practically serve as meals on their own (or at least intoxicating desserts in a glass).
 

Mosto

Instead of chasing trends, Mosto goes a refreshingly subtler route, offering high-quality, creative flourishes on old favorites. Highlights include the Angostura bitters tossed in with the bourbon and cube sugar of their RMB 65 Old Fashioned, and the rosemary-infused vodka in their RMB 60 Bloody Mary. The exception: Mosto’s eponymous and tantalizing specialty cocktail, made with jasmine tea-infused rum, Chambord, fresh lime juice, green tea syrup, and a frothy egg white for RMB 70.

Root Pop

This Shuangjing restaurant has already made a name for itself with imaginative vegan renditions of fast food favorites. Now it’s bringing that same sense of playfulness to a new cocktail menu featuring their raspberry mojito made with rum, raspberry liquor, mint, lime wedges, sugar, and soda. Best of all: each of their cocktails are only RMB 48 each.

Q Mex Taqueria 

Q Mex Taqueria's drinks menu is by no means as new as other entries on this list, having been available since chef Marcus Medina opened the more authentically Mexican branch of his ever-expanding restaurant chain at Xinyuan Xili last summer, But even as its irresistible tacos initially and rightfully took center stage, buzz has since steadily built for its impressive roster of agave tequilas, not to mention tequila-loaded cocktails like the coconut (pictured, made with Tequila Blanco, coconut cream and syrup, and roasted coconut chips sprinkled around the brim; RMB 60 per glass or RMB 185 for a pitcher) and the guava margarita (RMB 55 for a glass or RMB 175 for a pitcher).
 

Taco Bar

Speaking of Mexican restaurants, Courtyard 4's Taco Bar has long been known not only for its delectable eats but also as a party patio that fills up so quick patrons usually need to make reservations to secure a seat. Must tries include the Paloma (made with tequila, grapefruit, soda, lime), white sangria (consisting of white wine, Cointreau, rum, passion fruit), South of the Border (featuring dark rum, Aperol, lime, soda), and Diablo Daiquiri (made with rum, fresh chili, lime). 

Bottega

Some of the drinks at this beloved Italian restaurant maybe be a bit more straightforward than other entries on this list, and yet Bottega's cocktail offerings are reliably delicious enough to make you forget all that. Highlights include an RMB 70, unfussy yet thoroughly flavorful, classic Negroni, the Bellini (made with Prosecco and white peach puree, also RMB 70), and a gin mule (made with gin, mint, lime, syrup and ginger beer). However, Bottega shows some laudable creative spirit in the gin and tonic section of their drinks menu, which features four RMB 78 options: The Diplomat (made with Citadelle gin, rosemary, and orange peel), The Spaniard (featuring Nordes gin, thyme and lemon), the Highlander (consisting of Hendricks gin, shaved cucumber and lemon), and The London Gent (made with Tanqueray gin, strawberry, black peppercorn).   

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos: Uni You, courtesy of the restaurants, Trip Advisor