Hot Toddy, to Go? Chaos Serves Boozy Drinks Streetside in Xinyuanli

What could be better than a hot toddy on a chilly day? Why, being able to purchase it streetside, of course! That at least seems to be the sales pitch that recently opened Xinyuanli cocktail kiosk Chaos is trying to woo customers with. 

So that begs the question: Mojito Man, have you finally met your match? It’s been years since everybody's favorite dodgy streetside drinks vendor became famous for their potent mixes. It's even been months since the same vendor cleaned up his act with a semi-respectable bar in the basement Shimao complex. But after all that, Chaos is here to shake up the grab-it-and-go cocktail game.

Instead of just minty, slushy mixes, Chaos has a menu of drinks (RMB 28-60) that try to appeal to more discerning customers. Or as discerning as you can be when ordering a drink from what looks like a crawl space between a Chinese restaurant and a convenience store. You can even see the wooden panels that the lone bartender would use to lock up this little nook at night (or likely conceal his operation if he catches wind that the cops are coming around the corner).

The menu boasts hot, boozy cocktail options like Irish coffee (Jim Beam bourbon, coffee, and milk), hot toddy (Jim Beam, sugar and lemon), Tom and Jerry (Captain Morgan rum, cinnamon, and milk), and mulled wine (red wine, cinnamon and lemon), all priced at RMB 40 each.

If ordering a hot alcoholic drink from the sidewalk isn't enough of a novelty, you can also order the drinks to go (on Dianping via the blue logoed submenu under the map icon; it’s mostly in Mandarin though). 

After ordering a Tom and Jerry, the bartender disappeared behind a curtained nook behind the bar. He soon returned with a paper cup emblazoned with the Chaos logo, looking for all the world like a cup of coffee (handy for day drinking, or perhaps spelling the downfall of civilization).

Unfortunately, the drink itself just tasted like hot, watered-down rum. Though the drink itself was a letdown, we may be tempted to try again given that Chaos is also listed on Dianping's delivery service, meaning that if you're lucky enough to live within the catchment area, you can get cocktails delivered straight to your house (also look out for big discounts, a gin fizz costing RMB 9, down from RMB 35, at the time of writing).

These quirks and the variety of drinks and ham-fisted attempt at respectability make Chaos a zany novelty, however, if they don't tinker with their mixes, it might not be one that lasts very long.

Read: Old Beijing Is Dead, Long Live the New Mojito Man

Chaos
Daily 1.30pm-11pm. 12 Xinyuan South Road, Chaoyang District
新源南路12号院底商

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Photos: Kyle Mullin