The Shuangjing neighborhood is an enigma in the city of Beijing. Sure, it’s not that far, but hey – Beijing is a big city, so sometimes going from neighborhood to neighborhood can be a bit of a jaunt. However, Shuangjing has its charm and is very much under-appreciated outside the central cluster of the homey, yet hipster, hutongs and the sexy Sanlitun hoods.
Why all this talk about Shuangjing? Well, we braved the Beijing streets and made a trek out there to discover a new cocktail joint that’s lit. Literally, that’s what it’s called.
Lit Lounge Bar is located on Dongbai Lu, a side street just across from the Shuangjing mega-mall. Upon entering the bar, we’re greeted with an installation that is glowing with faux fire to the right, and a stage to the left where local musicians play tunes on selected nights. The bar is decorated with contemporary designs all over, and you can’t help noticing the ceiling-to-floor jade-green walls and the incredibly tall bar back. Interestingly, most of the speakeasy-type bars usually have Sinatra or Bennett on a never-ending playlist, but not here. Instead, you’ll be taking in very relaxed and chill (almost Enya-esque) vibes from the speakers.
As for the drinks, Lit has an expansive bar menu that encompasses almost everything you’d ever want, though just ignore the multitude of English spelling errors. The head bartender recommended the Vespasian (RMB90), or as he called it, “the James Bond” martini. (Though this was a bit controversial for us movie buffs who realize that this martini is based with Bombay Sapphire gin, whereas James Bond would have much preferred vodka.) For a shaken drink, it was a bit unbalanced with a very strong bite – we would have preferred it to be smoother on the tongue, and with less lemon overtones. Opting for a chance at redemption, we try the Pennsylvania Rye-backed Old Pal (RMB90). Served in a coupe glass with a maraschino cherry – a basic Old Fashioned, nothing fancy – this packed a harsh bite with each sip, and felt rather hurried.
Granted, given that this bar is very well received on Dianping, this could have been an off day. However, after gulping down what we could of our drinks, we’d say that Lit has room for improvement in order to really achieve the level of expectations its name gives off.
[Images via Andrew Braun/That’s]
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