Inventive New Pickering's Gin Bar Makes a Splash at Nali Patio
The record spins. The old-timey music plays. And what of your glass of gin and vermouth sitting in the middle of the phonograph? Why, it’s stirred at 78rpm, of course.
Yes, the device is a gimmick, but it’s still fun, fresh, retro, and extravagant. In that sense, the turntable gin mixer is in sync with much of the rest of Pickering's Seafood and Gin Bar. Other throwback flourishes at this recently opened Nali Patio spot (taking over the digs once owned by High Town and Particles' Kitchen before that) include staff sporting poor boy hats, striped shirts, and suspenders, and a menu made to resemble an old newspaper.
The decor, however, is sleek and modern with gleaming metal trim and light fixtures, and even brighter primary colors. The most important cutting-edge feature at this bar is the gin selection, with 200 hundred varieties like St George, Dodd's, and of course Pickering's.
All that comes courtesy of the eponymous partner, which is not only using the bar as a front for selling its award-winning Edinburgh spirits but also a home for its major branding push in China. This new venture comes in conjunction with Panda Brew, and it’s the same strategy that general manager Zax Wu and his colleagues used at their older Charles' Whisky Bar in Sanyuanqiao with partner and famed spirits guru Charles MacLean. This seems to be a growing trend, given that other competitors, like Terrazza Martini, situated a stone's throw from Pickering's, have also employed a similar strategy.
Does that mean there’s a whiff of corporate polish permeating throughout this new Nali Patio joint? Yes. But thankfully it also gives the stafff enough resources to ensure the big bucks rolling in don’t give the bar a nondescript, big box ambiance. On the contrary, many of the expensive toys on hand are more substantive than the merely stylish record spinner. Take the CO2 centrifuge behind the bar, which allows the staff to make a creative sparkling juniper cocktail (RMB 88 per glass or RMB 399 per bottle). This light, sweet and sour cocktail is bubbly enough to remind you of rosé or even champagne, even though it's made with a gin base.
And while we were more impressed by that centrifuge at first, we quickly realized that the martini-mixing record player that we were so quick to scoff at actually stirred up a mean cocktail. The ensuing martini was crisp, cool, and citrusy thanks to a splash of rich orange vermouth. Its weighty amount of gin, meanwhile, went down smooth at first but quickly proved brawny enough to give us a jolt and consider dancing to the very same vaudeville music that had accompanied the creation of our drink.
Even more upscale toys can be found in a hidden VIP room accessed by a secret switch (ask the staff for a peek, though you'll need to call in advance to book the room). Inside is a wall lined with shelves that clearly label gin, vermouth, and bitter varieties, along with another wall stacked with bottle after bottle of infused gin, organized from light to strong. Other fancy flourishes can be found on the lunch and dinner pages of the menu, which come courtesy of culinary consultant Jeek Pan, who is well known for his molecular gastronomic turns in his native Taipei. Dishes include the less-than-cheap rum-doused duck breast (RMB 200), tomahawk steak (RMB 1,400), and Boston lobster (RMB 320), giving Pickering's a reason to open at 11.30am so as to catch the lunchtime crowd.
While purists may sneer at Pickering's gimmicks, preferring instead to stick to their rough-around-the-edges joint, we left this posh, slickly executed spot satisfied by both its inventive (and undeniably fun) mixology outlook, which should delight casual patrons looking for something fresh. But like a well-made cocktail, Pickering's balances those flashier elements with the pedigree available to an internationally acclaimed gin maker, its vast selection of top-shelf brands meaning that this new lounge is poised to make a big splash at Nali Patio.
Pickering's Seafood and Gin Bar
Daily, 11.30am-2am. D205, 2/F Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang Dist (5208 6095)
朝阳区 三里屯北街81号1幢那里花园二层D205
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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos courtesy of Pickering's, Kyle Mullin
