Vice Mixer: Where to Grab Boozed Up Coffee in Beijing

In Beijing’s teeth-chattering winters, we tend to spend nights holed up in a bar, drowning ourselves in a liquid blanket to stay warm. But summer’s come round and frankly, we’d much rather enjoy time with friends during the daytime when there’s still sunshine to absorb.

So, where shall we gather – at the neighborhood coffee shop for quick cuppa, or at the bar terrace for wee drink? Well folks, the truth is, you don’t have to choose!

In this city, caffeine has been mingled with the hard stuff in ways far beyond your typical espresso martinis and Irish coffees, so the adventurous among you will have no trouble finding new and interesting ways to balance out your stimulants with your depressants. Below, we’ve collected a few places to get you started.

Baristar

Located in Sanlitun’s Courtyard 4, Baristar is an ideal spot to start off a day of bar-hopping with a caffeine-powered skip in your step. They’ve got a menu of coffee cocktails that range from RMB 50-60, including an orange coffee gin & tonic, a cold brew negroni, and coffee colada.
 

Café Duet

For a more chilled-out coffee and a drink with a friend, Café Duet brings the business. They regularly update both their regular and spiked coffee drinks with the changing of the seasons. They try to get creative with their concoctions, like the Pink Bubble, with espresso and soju mixed with grapefruit and soda.

April and Café

Another coffee shop and bar on the chill side, April’s coffee cocktails are made with ice-crop coffee. The Red Garden for example comes with coffee, rhubarb gin, rose syrup, hibiscus, and lemon juice – or for something simpler, opt for the coffee sangria. Oh, and they also serve a dang nice slice of apple pie.

Starbucks Bar

Sanlituners are lucky enough that their local Starbucks was recruited for the brand’s experiment with cocktail shaking. Bar Mixato, as the bar area has been dubbed, serves up a wide array of coffee-based cocktails served up by well-trained, if sometimes overwhelmed, bowtie-sporting staff.

READ: Capital Caff: Ralph Lauren's Cafe, Creeper Coffee, and Moocoffee

With additional research by Tracy Wang. Read her original article on this subject in The Beijinger Chinese edition.

Images: UNSPLASH, Giphy, Dianping, Starbucks