The Future is Here, and It’s a Tea-Slinging Robot
Although Tizzy is
a bit of a showoff, it’s tough to fault this newly unveiled robotic arm
for flexing. This charismatic space shuttle-esque robotic arm
automatron will shake up your order of iced tea with more than a little
flair, making him the key attraction at Cosmo Mixology, a newly opened sweet tea vendor at Sanlitun's Nali Patio.
Patrons
need only sidle up to the street-side booth, which has a deep pinkish
hue and is also decorated with rows of dials and switches that look like
they’ve been lifted from a '60s sci-fi flick. Aside from the robotic
arm, there is also a living, breathing attendant tending a window to the
left side of Tizzy, which is good news for anyone worried about the
ruthlessness of the robot revolution (and a potential letdown for any
antisocial customers yearning for the rise of the machines).
Providing
the server your order, they'll disappear into a room out of sight
behind the booth. Then the fun starts: Tizzy springs to life, shaking
your order of tea to and fro, before making more sustained shakes of the
canister at his end joint (what would be his hand and wrist, I guess)
until the whole mess becomes a blur. Tizzy's top then lifts, out comes
the mixture into a cup, and voila! Your tea is ready.
Cheers, Mr. Robot!
Is
it a gimmick? Of course. But as far as gimmicks go, this one’s fun and
memorable. What really puts Cosmo Mixology over, however, is the tea
itself, which isn’t half bad. Their pomegranate signature tea (RMB
28 for both a hot or iced cup; I chose the latter) is actually among
some of the best I’ve had at any of the countless sweet tea vendors that
have popped up around Beijing in recent years. The fruit-flavored
drinks, billed as “authentic Taiwan-style,” have a soft tartness and
equally subtle aftertaste and can be souped up with a “yummy cream
topping,” which we can only assume is in adherence to the overbearing
cheese tea trend that has had Beijing’s beverage scene in a chokehold
all year.
Still,
the variety of teas on offer, along with the convenient location, make
Cosmo a solid spot for anyone in need of a refreshment. Tizzy’s gyrating
joints are certainly the initial attraction, but as it turns that it's
the tea that will keep you coming back.
Daily 11am-11pm
Nali Patio (south side), 81 South Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区南三里屯路81号那里花园1楼南侧
Photos: Kyle Mullin, courtesy of Cosmo Mixology
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