Capital Spirits: Baijiu Drunks on Dongzhmennei

Kipp Whittaker | Nov 15, 2014 4:56 pm | Add a comment | 1555 reads

The gentlemen behind Capital Spirits Bar & Distillery left Derek Sandhaus’ 300 Shots at Greatness lecture last March with baijiu on the brain. It was here they decided to create the world’s first bar dedicated to the “white spirit.” Sitting in a restored hutong shop, they currently feature about 30 types of the pungent Chinese fire water, along with in-house, distilled local favorites like Yanjing Beer and Great Wall Wine.

We started off our visit with the intro flight (RMB 40). This featured one baijiu from each of the various categories, which includes rice, light, strong, and sauce. It was indeed baijiu, but to our surprise there were distinct differences of strength and flavor between them. This was the first time we found it organized in a way we could determine what type best suited our pallet.

Next we ordered up the Anaconda (RMB 50), their crazy snake-infused cocktail that also contained a jigger of tequila and cold-brewed coffee. This dangerous fella was accompanied by a special light-up frog fountain, creating the kind of multi-sensory gimmick that we’re partial to. The drink itself was pretty tasty, considering I thought it would initially taste like the floor of an exotic pet store. Make sure to check out their baijiu versions of classic cocktails, like the Crab Island Iced Tea and the baijiu sour, which also looked pretty interesting.

No other bar on our radar has yet to provide this sort of tasting ground specific to baijiu, apart from those pesky holiday dinners or business banquets, where it is forced down your throat with little grace. The only thing we can say this bar is lacking is a good soundtrack, but this is coming from someone that cares way too much about aural ambiance. The frat party tunes are a tad inappropriate for the amazing service and ancient Chinese buzz that Capital Spirits provides, and you will no doubt leave buzzed.

Capital Spirits
Daily 8pm-12am. Tue-Sun, 3 Daju Hutong, Dongcheng District, 600m West of Dongzhimen Station (Line 2 and 13) (6409 3319)
东城区大菊胡同3号