Gallery, the New Bar By DaliDali, Expands On Their Winning Formula of Classic Cocktails With Creative Twists

If you read our 2020 Year in Review Restaurants round-up, then you’ll know that despite the trials, tribulations, and general volatility of this year, Beijing’s F&B scene was as resilient as ever. And that resilience carried all the way through to the very end, as last Thursday, Dec 24, saw the grand opening of yet another new bar, Gallery, located just off Gulou Dongdajie.

Gallery is a swanky cocktail, whisky, and wine joint opened by Lao “Lincoln” Hu, the brains behind Andingmen’s DaliDali (check out our review here). And it doesn’t take long before stepping into Gallery’s foyer to see the connection, as guests are greeted by an imposing three-dimensional visage of the brand’s patron saint, Salvador Dali. What’s more, much like their flagship location, the walls are decked out with the Spanish surrealist’s iconic paintings. When asked why he decided to open two bars in Beijing that draw inspiration from the master of melted clocks, Hu says that it all just kind of fell into place while vacationing in the Philippines with his girlfriend, Kimi. “We were talking about opening a bar, but we didn’t have a good name,” Hu tells the Beijinger. “One day we were talking about arts and all of a sudden DaliDali just came to my mind! We thought it was a good name and both of us love his paintings.” As for the new location, “At first we wanted to call it Daliy, but you know, two bars with one name, kind of boring. So we changed it to Gallery.”

Admittedly, the new space feels much like its first incarnation with dark wood furniture, leather-clad booths, and moody lighting, however, Gallery is decidedly much larger and features a sizable lounge set off the main bar area.

In terms of drinks as well, Gallery doesn’t stray far from what Hu is known for – classic cocktails with a creative twist. The menu features brand favorites like the Gin Pesto with gin, fresh basil, lemon juice, and elderflower syrup and the Forbidden Light, a rum base with rosemary, passionfruit, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Signature cocktails include the Jasmine Negroni, with dry gin infused jasmine tea, Campari, vermouth, and orange, as well as a slightly stronger Baijiu Sour made of gin, baijiu, Malibu passionfruit, lemon juice, and syrup. All cocktails run RMB 70 to RMB 100, with a full menu of whisky and wines as well.

For all intents and purposes, Gallery and DaliDali aren’t too dissimilar. However, given the latter’s limited size and seating arrangement, Gallery is doubtlessly a welcome addition to the neighborhood, allowing for larger groups to kick back in style while sipping on recipes crafted by Hu's deft-hand.

Gallery
Daily, 6pm-1.30am. 64 Donggong street, Dongcheng District (13261196157)
东公街64号1号楼北侧  

READ: Cocktails To Make at Home This New Year's Eve Stay-In

Images courtesy of Gallery