Bar Review: Ron Mexico
By Noelle Mateer
At Ron Mexico, the newest neighborhood bar to pop up in Andingmen, a young Barack Obama is smoking weed.
At least there’s a picture of him doing so on the wall. As well as a picture of NFL Quarterback Tom Brady mid-tackle. And a painting of chef-turned-travel-show-host Anthony Bourdain.
These goofy American paintings don’t merely indicate the goofy imagination of the American dude behind the bar. They’re also telling of the goofy fun that’s to come on the menu: Drinks are solidly strong, and also a steal. Cocktails range from RMB35 for basics to RMB80 for seasonal specials. Cheap bar snacks on offer include hot sandwiches from Queenie’s, a newly opened shop nearby.
The most fun, though, is the ‘Create Your Own Cocktail’ menu, which allows curious guests, and most recently our Editor-in-Chief Oscar Holland, to make horrible cocktail decisions for their personal pleasure.
“I’m going to tell you what I want, and I don’t want you to advise me against it,” says our man. He then chooses – and later drinks – a mixture of lavender, Laphroaig whisky, passion fruit, orange juice and a dash of soda, all with base of Cachaca, a Brazilian sugarcane spirit. Fucking weirdo.
But Ron Mexico doesn’t judge – not only do staffers willingly condone this egregious mixology crime, they also smile on as we order a round of Fireball shots for our team. And for that, we pray God bless this place.
Ron Mexico is a laowai hangout, for sure. The menus we were given didn’t even have Chinese on them. But as it’s next to the massive, foreigner-packed Guanshuyuan compound, this is excusable.
After all, the place simply aspires to be a neighborhood bar. But it's both friendly and affordable enough for us to predict that it will draw residents from other neighborhoods, too.
// 5pm-late; 17 Yongkang Hutong, Dongcheng 永康胡同17号
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