Shake It Up With: Best Bartender Nominee Douglas Williams of BBC

Shake It Up profiles the eight Beijing mixologists that are up for the title of Beijing's Best Bartender in our 2015 Reader Bar and Club Awards. We talk with Douglas Williams, co-owner and co-founder of Bottle, Boot & Cigar, otherwise known as BBC.

How has BBC gotten to where it is today?

I came to Beijing two years ago on a six month contract, to work at a company that did restaurant and bar consulting. I liked it so much that I decided to stay, and met a few partners that wanted to open our own restaurant and bar consulting firm. After we found a space for an office, we realized “why not open a bar of our own.” So BBC has a sliding door at the back, which leads to a room that’s part office space, part bottle shop, and also a meeting space for us to plan consulting.

What lead to your transition from mere consulting to also being a proprietor?

Well, part of good consulting is providing proof of concept. It’s one thing to say ‘I consulted in Europe and the US and had a high degree of success.” But here in China, the business is so different from back home. I felt that if we had our own space that was successful, then it would be a good way to give people a sense of security that we know the ins and the outs of running a business here in China.

What drink do you pour yourself to unwind at the end of a long day, or after a long shift at the bar?

It varies a bit, but being from San Francisco, a lot of my friends and I would drink fernet, this bitter amaro from Italy. I’ll occasionally pour some for my Chinese staff to try, and they tell me it’s like Chinese medicine: bitter and herbal [laughs]. Having a drink like that is amazing for me at the end of the day. And sometimes when I’m finishing up, I’ll have a cigar and sip on some rum or Spanish brandy. My favorite rum at the moment is one from this company called Plantation. It’s from Plantation, a city in Jamaica. The bottle I have was bottled in 2001. It’s really special, full of flavor, and definitely takes the edge off a bit.

Read the full interview with Douglas by clicking through below.