Chocolate&Milk Bar Is a Retro Treat for Cocktail Lovers in Sanlitun North

The blocky gray device glows and hums as it pumps air through a hose into the pitcher, creating a thick white layer of foam above the emerald green cocktail therein. The result: a frothy cap for the Bugs Bunny cocktail at Chocolate&Milk Bar, a fun new cocktail joint in Sanlitun North.

The hand-sized foam machine is just one of the gadgets that owner Wayne Wang relies upon in his bar – there's also a sous vide machine and a centrifuge to give his cocktails intricate flavors and textures, as well as a new rotary evaporation device, which will be used in a new drink that he's still putting the finishing touches on.

All that tech contrasts sharply with Chocolate&Milk’s ambiance, which feels like the kind of lounge Don Draper would frequent. Dozens upon dozens of bottles are stacked up pyramid-high behind the dark woodgrain bar, the art is modern, the floor tiles are faux marble, and the staff is sharply dressed in vests and neckties. Also noticeable is the sheer size of the spot. Far from being a tiny speakeasy, which is now typical for Beijing, Chocolate&Milk has more than a dozen stools pulled up along its sprawling bar, half as many tables on the wall opposite, and a broad booth at the back that can also fit a handful of patrons.

Among the must-try drinks: the RMB 95 C&M Milk Punch, which despite its title, is no wholesome, dairy-laden mix. Wang strains the milk through cloth no less than four times before adding it to the glass, rendering the milk a subtle backdrop to the "punch" – generous splashes of mezcal and cognac. Then there are the unique peppery notes from the pink peppercorns (a dried fruit native to South America), homemade pandan syrup, and pineapple and lime juices.

Meanwhile, their RMB 80 Bugs Bunny, just as the name would suggest, is a certified rascal of a drink thanks to its splashes of vodka and cherry liqueur, both of which are balanced by a celery varnish and lemon and carrot juice. It all amounts to a light and fresh cocktail well suited for the warming weather.

The menu is rounded out by an RMB 90 Chocolate Old Fashioned (rye whiskey, chocolate, homemade truffle honey syrup, and bitters), the RMB 80 Bubble Plum (dry gin, Earl Grey tea, ginger liqueur, homemade dark jam, lime juice and soda), the RMB 80 Fruit Matcha (pisco, melon liqueur, homemade matcha syrup, lime and pineapple juice and cheese power), and a half dozen others.   

Thanks to the fetching retro ambiance and the offbeat and reasonably priced drinks, Chocolate&Milk Bar secures its place as one of the city's more original cocktail bar openings. Once Wang has all his gadgets up and running, we foresee no end to him mixing up creative cocktails.

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Chocolate&Milk Bar
Daily 6pm-late. 10 Xingfu Sancun, Fifth Alley (off the northwest corner of Taikoo Li North), Chaoyang District
朝阳区幸福三村五巷

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Photos: Kyle Mullin