Booze News: Paddy's 13th Birthday Bash, Slow Boat Membership, Winter Drinks Launch at Zarah

Thirsty? Wet your whistle with Booze News, our wrap-up of the week's best bar deals, parties, drink concoctions, industry gossip, and more.

Paddy's birthday and St. Patrick's head start

Paddy O'Shea's celebrates a not so lucky but nevertheless huge 13th birthday this Friday, Dec 4, with what promises to encompass everything we love about the beloved Irish pub: a great selection of beer, hearty grub, and some of the chummiest nights in Beijing. Having seen many a Beijing venue come and go, Paddy's is one of the few remaining stalwarts in the scene, attracting regulars and out-of-towners throughout the week. For this special birthday, they've invited funk rockers Joker's Belief to man the stage while patrons are showered with cake and freebies. The fun starts at 9pm and likely won't end until very late.

Then on Monday, Dec 7, the rowdiness continues with a little teaser for what is undoubtedly Paddy's biggest day of the year: St. Patrick's Day. Head over for the "100 Days Until St. Patrick's" party, starting at 5pm, and enjoy happy hour all night long and a vibe that should in part make up for this year's canceled event, which was furloughed on account of the coronavirus.

Slow Boat launch Maizidian membership scheme

Frequent visitors to Slow Boat's newest venue in Maizidian will be excited to hear that the brewery has launched a membership scheme for returning customers. Dubbed the "Slow Boat Crew," the club is accessible via your phone, allowing you to collect points as you eat and drink, receive discounts on Slow Boat merch, and receive vouchers as they're released. Currently, the club is only available in Maizidian and membership is free for the remainder of 2020, so best sign up now.

Zarah winter drinks launch party

Zarah, you had me at "hot and boozy." Head over to the Gulou cafe this Friday from 7pm onwards to taste a "whole winter's worth of new delicious drinks to get you through the coldest days of the year." There'll be mulled wine, hot apple toddies and old-fashioneds, and spiked rum hot chocolates galore, each for RMB 40 a chill-killing cup. As for non-boozy items, there's also a new almond latte, vegan red velvet hot chocolate (pictured above), and more. Make it a session courtesy of DJs throughout the night. See pictures and full details here.

New beers at Beersmith and Jing-A

Finally, there are a couple of new beers to mention, including Beersmith's new festive Cranberry Crush tipple. Launched last week, this Santa-cheek-red and lip-smackingly sour ale packs a punch courtesy of a generous helping of fresh cranberries and sea salt. Just what the big man ordered for the foot of the chimney this year.

Meanwhile, Jing-A head in the opposite direction and allude to warmer climes with the launch of their new fruit "Nectar" series. The first beer to be tapped this Friday is their Mango Nectar (5 percent ABV), "A thick, creamy fruit smoothie beer with a slightly tart finish ... featuring a Berliner Weisse base fermented with over 100kg of fresh mango puree, then conditioned on Madagascar vanilla beans." Future beers in the series will include guava, coconut, lychee, and papaya, in an effort to "bring the vacation before the holidays." After this year, that's exactly what we need.

Fill up on the best of this week's food,
including deals at Migas, a Spanish wine dinner, and hot pot at Jing-A Longfusi.

Images courtesy of the venues