Cat Got Your Tongue? Qianmen's Huge Catail Cocktail Bar Leaves Us Pleasantly Speechless

Stepping inside the new and extremely ambitious Qianmen cocktail lounge Catail Qian Yard left us feeling that the cat had well and truly got our tongue. The sensation only deepened while surveying the lounge's solid whiskey selection, its menu loaded with signature cocktails, and upon meeting its skilled bartender, who hails from one of Taipei’s most famous bars. On top of all that, Catail has three – count ‘em, three – floors, each decked out with elegant decor and a distinctive style – quite the feat when you consider that most bars only manage to pull off a single motif.

Catail’s ground floor, for instance, has all the colonial splendor of a storied Shanghai joint, or even a spiffed up London pub. Lamps that look like they were taken off the set of Sherlock Holmes line the seating area, which is adorned with white mesh-backed chairs. The retro ceramic floor tiles and dark stained wood furniture round off that old-school ambiance with aplomb.

Spindly stools line the bar, where mixologist Kevin Lai mixes up a number of refined, refreshing drinks. He first made a name for himself at Taipei’s Bar Mood, which cracked Asia’s 50 best bars at number 43 this year, making him a more than welcome addition to the nightlife scene in southern Beijing.

Upstairs, the more low-key whiskey bar has a quieter, more private vibe. Then to top it all off, the sizeable third-floor rooftop opens the whole place up and provides views over the nearby hutongs, and further afield, the gleaming CBD skyline. Meanwhile, the towering trees that skirt the deck and whose leaves gently rustle in the breeze only add to the distinctive and eye-catching quality of the rugged, barely varnished wooden floor and outside bar.

Suitably awestruck, we headed back to the ground floor to try just a few of many signature cocktails on offer. First up, the Free Will Hunting (RMB 98), whose tongue-tingling Laphroaig Quarter Cask and 10-year-old Talisker whiskeys amiably meld with the dry vermouth and Filipino balete fig and pandan syrups, giving it a unique Southeast Asian flair. Other creative highlights include the Yellow Submarine (RMB 88) banana-flavored old fashioned (made with banana bourbon, brown sugar, and Angostura bitters), the foamy Garden Party (RMB 98) pisco and mango puree cocktail, and the Love You So (RMB 108), featuring an inspired combination of homemade lychee tea cognac, PX Sherry, dry vermouth and chocolate bitters.

We should also add that the RMB 80 pandan lychee mix mocktail was fragrant and refreshing enough to leave designated drivers satisfied rather than jealous of their cocktail swigging squad, a rarity in Beijing where most bars treat mocktails like an afterthought.

Qianmen makes for a unique area for this, the third branch of Catail to open (following Catail Lounge and Catail Backyard, both in Haidian), rather than the elegant mixology abounding in Sanlitun and the CBD. That decision has allowed them the space to make a truly lush bar in a neighborhood that is currently attempting to put itself on the map for us outside of the usual tourist set. For that reason, Catail makes for a healing pitstop after a day of chaperoning visitors or as a beacon for nightcaps after dinner at one of the area's trendy new restaurants like Zha Zha Bistro, Nicaf, or Long Jing.

Still thirsty? Check out this Wangfujing lounge a few blocks north of Qianmen

Catail Qian Yard
Daily, 7pm-1am. (6703 3251). 60 Guozi Hutong, Dongcheng District 
东城区果子胡同60号

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Photos: Uni You