Booze News: Equis Quietly Shuts Down, The Irish Volunteer to Return, Whiskey Shop at Herbal

Feeling thirsty? Wet your whistle with Booze News, our weekly wrap-up of the week's best bar deals, parties, drink concoctions, industry gossip, and more.

READ: Street Renovations Close 13-Year-Strong Café de la Poste

The Irish Volunteer to make a return in Lido

This should get your Irish eyes smiling: after shutting down last summer, the Irish Volunteer is poised to make a big comeback, as fellow Lidu establishment Buddy Bar will play host to this new iteration of the veteran sports bar and Irish pub. The owners recently spoke to the Beijing Boyce lifestyle blog, stating that they were planning to reopen by May if all goes according to plan.

Herbal gets a whiskey shop upgrade

Mr. Boyce also broke news of cocktail haven Herbal having upped the ante with an on-site whiskey shop. The impressively deep 100-odd options are comprised mostly of Japanese and Scottish bottles. Signing up for membership will get you discounts a la Herbal interior and conceptual designer Glenn Schuitman's former Straight Spirit endeavor (which he co-founded and designed, but has since moved on from).

Atmosphere welcomes guest bartender Suraj Gurung

In Hong Kong, Nepalese mixologist and bar manager Suraj Gurung certainly stays busy. Much of his time is spent at Blue Butcher bar and restaurant, where Gurung is the mixologist and bar manager. However, he also concocts drinks for both Fish & Meat restaurant and Stockton bar while also acting as a mixologist at large for Maximal Concepts, which owns those businesses and other hotspots around Hong Kong. His deft drink making skills helped Blue Butcher win the prestigious Best Cocktail Bar HK Tatler Award, and he'll show off his skills as the guest bartender at Guomao's Atmosphere Bar on Apr 12-13.
 

Beer Olympics return to Xian

Beer fans can get their fill at Xian this Saturday, Apr 13 with their latest go at the Beer Olympics, for which Slow Boat, Jing-A, and NBeer will all be on tap and ready to help you over the finish line. There'll also be Xian's pizza and snacks to keep you upright. To compete in the booze-related athletic competitions you'll need to sign up for either a three-person team ticket (RMB 600) or a spectator ticket (RMB 300), which will get you free-flow food and drinks throughout the afternoon. Heyrobics will also host a stretch session for anyone looking to warm up before the games kick off.
 

Jing-A's Pyjama Party

What better way to end the weekend than a boozy brunch? That's the idea behind Jing-A's Pyjama Party on Sunday (Apr 14). Between 11am and 3pm, RMB 95 will get you a glass of their hefty new 12.6 percent Bourbon BA Imperial Stout and the breakfast of champions AKA free-flow pancakes. Don't forget that there's a strict pyjama dress code to partake in all the batter and beer goodies.
 

Beer Buddies release their latest batch of brews

If you'd rather stock your shelves than head to the bar, Drinking Buddies' new batch of brews may be just what you need. Among the dozen bottles in the April box: London's Brew By Numbers (BBNO) 07-07 (a Belgian witbier infused with oranges, spices, and lemon zest, all of which is well suited for the warm weather); S43 Impressment American Pale Ale (what they cheekily describe as "not a well-balanced American pale ale, but instead a hoppier explosion of six different whole leaf American hops. Zing!"), and a compellingly layered stout from The Raven. For more information on how to get your hands on these and three other beers, click here.
 

Great Leap pairs grapefruit with Sichuan peppercorns

Great Leap's Three Su Series, which selects a fruit and pairs it with Sichuan peppercorns, ended with a refreshing bang this week with the release of their Grapefruit Su IPA. A fruity, zesty, and slightly tart beer with a gentle and bitter finish, the IPA is currently on tap at all locations until the barrels run dry. In case you're wondering, the Su Series name was inspired by the 11th-century Sichuanese literati Su Shi. You can read more about it here.
 

Monkey's Fist Imperial IPA returns to Slow Boat's taps

Slow Boat's flagship brew, Monkey's Fist IPA, got a well-received upgrade a while back in the form of the Monkey's Fist Imperial IPA. Its higher 10 percent ABV and stronger hop aroma make this Monkey Fist the King Kong of IPAs and is once again on the taps.
 

Four Season's award-winning Equis cocktail bar calls it quits

Finally, this week we end on a sad note: the sprawling, ritzy Four Seasons hotel bar Equis quietly shut its doors on Tuesday. Details are thus far scant, but the news comes on the heels of popular head bartender Keith Motsi leaving Equis for a gig in Singapore, and only a few short months after Drink Magazine crowned the lounge China's Best Hotel Bar at their 2018 awards ceremony. We hope that the massive space (especially its picturesque patio) will be put to good use in another iteration later on.

READ: Keith Motsi of Equis Bids Beijing Farewell

Photos: the Beijinger, Dazhong Dianping, courtesy of the bars