Union is a new cocktail bar that has taken root inside boutique hotel The Opposite House. It’s a massive, chandelier-bedecked space that, fittingly enough, looks right at home in the trendy Sanlitun hotel.
The decor suits a certain kind of date night, one where you might spend far too much money on fancy drinks after a nearby dinner (very near, as in at the hotel’s premier dim sum joint Jing Yaa Tang, located just one floor down).
The real draw of Union is their signature cocktail menu. It offers to take you on a journey down the ancient Silk Road, from China to Portugal, with plenty of stops in between. As their menu suggests on the first page, they seek patrons “who are curious at heart, who live for exploration and tirelessly seek out new tastes and ideas.” So, you can do your best to seek out those flavors by sampling their entire collection. Though be wary: It won’t be cheap – each stop on this ancient Silk Road will cost you RMB98 a pop.
But we will say this: Their inventive drinks are worth every last kuai. Try the Genghis Khan Martini, featuring Mongolian kumis (fermented milk) and coconut, a Siam Fashioned with hints of taro, or their Santorini Fizz that uses Greek yogurt. Their cocktails are inspired by the flavors of 10 countries and regions in total. Many of these are reimaginings of classics, but some seek to directly emulate staple flavors of their respective homelands. The Tom Yum 2.0 attempts to match the flavor tones of – you guessed it – tom yum, a hot and sour soup native to Thailand. At first, we hesitate – why anybody would desire to replicate this famous Thai soup in cocktail form? And yet, it somehow works. The lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves mix like a dream with coconut milk, while white rum is there to make you feel like you’re on vacation in Thailand.
They also serve a drink called, quite boldly, Better Than Sangria. While it’s wonderfully fruity, its base of port and Malbec, along with the choice to cut them with cognac and sherry, make it brilliantly boozy, but probably too thick for your average Spaniard or discerning sangria-lover.
The highlight of the selection we sample is the Canton Mule, a Chinese take on a Moscow mule, with notes of galangal, kumquat and pistachio that elevate this classic to a supremely refreshing summer beverage.
With a commendably intriguing theme, Union will attract a certain crowd of the wellto-do, and with a vibrant slate of drinks that hold up their end, it won’t have any trouble securing a devoted following.
[All images via Union]
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