A Chinese Mixologist takes on London Beefeater Gin

EVER WONDER WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A GREAT BARTENDER? Many can still remember Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail spinning the jiggers and glassware while schmoozing the crowd.However, like big hair, that method of bartending went out of style decades ago. Now it’s all about the “creative cocktail experience”.

While sitting down at Jing bar inside the Peninsula Hotel in Beijing after a day of sightseeing, my husband and I took in the exquisite, modern chic ambience, and marveled at all that China had to offer in terms of food and drink. We enjoyed the first night’s aperitif so much we went back the next night and had the opportunity to meet the mixologist who was creating and serving our refreshments, Mr. Paul Zhang.

Paul is the recent regional winner of the 2017 Beefeater MIXLDN Global Bartender Competition,the world’s largest gin contest where bartenders from 31 countries compete to create anoriginal cocktail using their city as inspiration. These bartenders design their cocktail to celebrate the urban diversity of the city in which they live and work, taking into consideration the culture, art, music, food and the people…then capturing this inspiration mix it with the spirit of LondonBeefeater Gin. Paul competed for his home country of China, that vast land of 1.4 billion people and 4,000 years of history, taking home a regional win.

As it was late into the evening while we were enjoying his signature cocktail “8 GoldfishLane” we learned more about this man and his art:

Q: “How did you figure out you wanted to become a bartender and what was your Plan B in case that career didn’t work out?”

A: I wanted to become a bartender largely because my father worked in the food and beverage industry in Europe for ten years and I would hear stories about its challenges and thrills while growing up as a boy. When he returned to China full time, I was still in high school but I’d listened to his advice over the years and decided to take some formal bartender training during college. My father will always be my idol. He always encouraged me to go out to work and seek different places to visit and study. I left my village of Tianjin to move to Beijing which was very close to my hometown so it was an easy commute by train and I could go home on weekends. My previous job was in Macau, which was really far from my home village but I was also lucky in that I always had my parents’ support. If I hadn’t become a bartender, I guess I would have become a good international tour guide. Places and people fascinate me.

Q: “What characteristics are critical for a bartender to be successful?”

A: I think that attitude is the most important factor. I often say, “hire for attitude, train for skill”. It’s obvious that in the hospitality industry attitude can make or break an experience – both from the service provider’s perspective but also from the guest’s. But attitude transcends industries and I think it’s the number one thing that we can control. You can always train and learn more in order to improve a skill but being truly successful, in my opinion, is all about attitude.

Q: “You’ve worked at some of the most exclusive hotels in the world - The Ritz Carlton, The Peninsula - to what degree does that level of luxury inspire your creativity?”

A: I have to say those luxury properties were really what provided me with a good, solid stage in which to do my very best work. I created many successful cocktails for domestic and foreign guests in these luxury hotels, and I also met many tremendous friends over the years. I also participated in several bartending competitions on behalf of the hotels and sincerely appreciated all of their encouragement and support. Being around luxury interiors, art, restaurants and renown chefs, international guests…it’s all inspirational groundwork for how I think about my craft.

Q: “How do you describe what a“creative drinking experience” is?”

A: I really like the word “experience”. If aguest comes to a bar for a drink, that’s not an experience, it’s just having a drink in the bar.My guests come to my bar, ask for a glass of Hong Chan, or 8 Goldfish Lane, and the event starts from there. There is the drink’s taste, the story as to its genesis and how I came to create it…all of these details make the art of drinking the cocktail an experience.I think this also speaks to the professionalism of bartenders. I believe it’s important that we

My guests come to my bar, ask for a glass of Hong Chan, or 8 Goldfish Lane, and the event starts from there.”

communicate with our guests. It’s not just asimple “Hey what can I bring you?”. Instead,we need to communicate with gueststhrough a professional approach, attitude,attentiveness and knowledge to create amemorable moment.

Q: “How did you come up with the cocktail 8 Goldfish Lane? Do you name all of your cocktails?”

A: That particular one is from my 2017Beefeater MIXLDN Global Bartender Competition winning cocktail! I find that Beijingers really like to drink jasmine tea.For years tea was truly the cultural drink of

Beijing. Forty years ago there were many teas stands on the streets of Beijing selling jasmine tea. People could pay 2 cents and get a bowl of jasmine tea and it became a key feature of our great city. The city still has many tea houses using the antique tea bowl as decoration, So I decided to honor this cultural tradition and use it as my inspiration to create this cocktail. I make an organic jasmine tea syrup from scratch, shake it with Beefeater Gin, fresh lemon, grapefruit juice and Chinese waxberry liqueur. Refreshing!

As for the naming of my cocktails, when I was thinking about cocktail names one day my sister Angel said, “Why don’t you use your hotel address?” The Peninsula in Beijing is located at 8 Goldfish Lane and ‘goldfish” is a famous and historic symbol and name in China - I knew immediately it was perfect. I like to name all of my cocktails – I enjoy coming up with creative and interesting ways to give them a true identity.

Q: “We’ve heard that the Chinese have become the world’s biggest consumers of red wine but they have been slow to acquire a taste for other alcoholic beverages - do you see a difference in the variety of customers you serve who are from around the world? What type of people enjoy what type of cocktail most?”

A: I have definitely found a difference in the variety of customers who are from around the world. The guests who travel frequently for business will usually have their own preferences; the ladies like champagne cocktails and the gentlemen like classic Martinis or Manhattan cocktails. Younger travelers like to try local specialty drinks such as Chinese wine, Chinese cocktails, or some bartender signature cocktails.

Q: “What do you drink when you’re not on the job?”

A: Beer, gin & tonic, or whiskey on the rocks. I always scan the drink menus when I go out and see what piques my interest… I am always keen to try something new! ¨

Written by Nona Footz