Get Ginned Up at Beijing’s First Major Gin Festival, Sep 13-15
Just
like a freshly readied gin and tonic, Beijing’s bustling festival
season is about to get stirred up before inspiring some serious thirst.
Yes, capital party people looking for a fresh and somewhat more upscale
take on such outdoor boozing and nibbling events should make their way
to Beijing’s first Gin Jubilee from Sep 13-15 at the terrace of Equis bar in the Four Seasons hotel.
The venue will be decked out as a boozy and bustling "Gin Lane" for the
occasion meant to evoke Bourbon Street and other celebratory bar
streets.
The event is put on by East Imperial,
a company that got its start in tonic water but has since branched out
into a variety of spirits. Gin and tonics and other cocktails will be
sold at booths by bartenders from some of Beijing's most popular lounges
and cocktail joints. There will also be platters of tasty bites readied
by Equis' kitchen. What's more: attendees will be able to vote and
bestow their favorite purveyor with "Beijing's best gin and tonic"
award, and a handful of masterclasses will be put on some of those
barkeeps.
And while this marks the festival’s Beijing debut, the
annual event has already been held in other Asian locales like Kuala
Lumpur, Shanghai, Phnom Penh, Hong Kong, and Singapore, with thousands
of people attending in each city (the Singapore fest holding the record
for most gin and tonics sold in one night, at 5,500).
The festival promises to be a boon for gin fans
Among the Beijing bars slinging gin-based cocktails will be the recently opened Pickering's Gin & Seafood Bar (aptly enough), Janes & Hooch (an old favorite that was the only Beijing spot to make it on the World's 50 Best Bars list this year), Scandal and Catail (hot lounges that opened earlier this year), established favorites like The Black Moth, Fannou House, Mokihi, Shangye Courtyard, along with Bottega restaurant, and of course the hosts, Equis.
While
some Beijingers might rather make their way to a more tried and true
food or beer festival, and scoff at cocktail joints for being too
uppity, Pickerings manager Zax Wu says
there is plenty of demand for a festival like the Gin Jubilee. "Gin is
very trendy and fashionable these days. The young generation all love
gin, while other spirits like whiskey or brandy are kind of old
fashioned," he says with no pun intended. Mokihi owner Moto Uchiyama,
meanwhile, says the event will be a great chance for attendees and
barkeeps alike to learn more about cocktail culture, leaving plenty of
potential for new inspirations and breakthroughs in the local bar scene.
Meanwhile, Equis head bartender Keith Motsi says
the event will "bring together a whole host of fantastic brands and
bars under one roof to showcase the creativity coming out of Beijing."
The
East Imperial Gin Jubilee will be held at Equis bar in the Four Seasons
Hotel from Sep 13-15 from 3pm-9pm each day, and entry is RMB 50. For
more information, go here: ginjubilee.com.
Images courtesy of the organizers
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