Is the Beijing Cocktail Scene Dead or Alive?
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In 1935, Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger described a scenario in which a cat in a box was – according to conditions described by the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics – simultaneously both dead and alive. The famous thought experiment was designed to show that the Copenhagen theory was flawed (in reality, a cat is either dead, or not), and has since entered popular culture, standing in as a shorthand for paradoxical or unknowable situations.
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Whether he intended it or not, veteran bartender Lang Lang's new venture – Schrödinger's Box – encapsulates the quandary facing Beijing bargoers. Is the Beijing cocktail scene dead or alive?
Bars have long been the ideal place for long musings over the universe's biggest questions. Schrödinger's Box is no different
If you miss the kind of scrappy, unlicensed bars that abounded in Yoolee Plaza apartments and Dirty Bar Street circa 2017, it's dead. If you're willing to take your drinks in much posher establishments, it's alive.
Schrödinger's Box actually lands somewhere in between: this new bar in Nali Patio, one of Beijing's snazziest F&B haunts, welcomes you with glowing entryway arches, a handful of paper lanterns dangling off the ceiling beside the bar, and soft lighting. One thing that sets it apart from its fancy neighbors like The Black Moth and Pickering's, however, is its higher value for money. RMB 80 (compared to the RMB 100-plus price tag at most Sanlitun lounges) will get you a cocktail specialized to your tastes after a few quick queries from the stylish and soft-spoken Lang Lang, whose English is as good as his bartending.
For us, he chose a pineapple rum as the base, added a splash of Chartreuse and Maraschino liqueurs "to make it more layered," and finished with some Fernet Branca amaro herbal liqueur to balance the flavor. While we were disappointed that the specialty cocktail menu is yet to be completed, Lang Lang's off-menu skills proved intuitive and satisfying. That's no big surprise, however, seeing as he and his team were equally adept with customized drinks at the since-closed Toy Box, just one of the traditions they hope to carry over at Schrödinger's Box (distilling and centrifuging methods being the others).
The drinks at Schrödinger's Box signal that bartender Lang Lang has grown up since his Toy Box days
Maintaining such strengths of his prior establishment, while upgrading the ambiance considerably, proves to be a potent mix for Lang Lang. If Toy Box encapsulated a spirit of unpretentious, playful cocktail fun, Schrödinger's Box represents a move to a more grown-up, complex kind of cocktail bar.
So, back to the cat. In this Schrödinger's Box, the kitty is very much alive and well, purring in content in the more than capable hands of Lang Lang. If you don't believe us, go look for yourself, curl up in one of the lounge's comfy sofas before being treated to a much more agreeable brand of poison.
READ: Cocktail Haven Botany to Bow Out of Beijing's Bar Scene
Schrödinger's Box 薛定谔箱子
Daily 6pm-2am
C405, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯北街81号那里花园C405
(010) 1517 0992
Photos: Uni You
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