Hotel Special: New cocktails cause a stir at Beijing's highest bar

"Imagine the scene: seven o'clock, Wednesday night, a business lady with a short, neat hair cut walks into the bar. What drink would you offer her?" mixologist Luca Cinalli asked.

"Well, if it was me, I might give her a champagne cocktail, something simple and elegant," he said.

Cinalli, a sophisticated Italian with an intuitive knowledge of customers' needs and world-class mixing skills, is bartending at Beijing's Atmosphere bar in the China World Summit Wing hotel from May 13 to 17.

Cinalli has been involved in the bar scene since he was 12 years old and is currently a mixologist at the Nightjar in London, which was voted the second best bar in the world by Drinks International 2013.

He is renowned for his creative and extravagant cocktail garnishing, which include flowers, herbs, spices, juices and fruits.

During his five-day trip to Beijing Cinalli designed seven exclusive cocktails for Atmosphere, which is the city's highest bar located on the hotel's 80th floor.

The innovative drinks include the Forbidden Perfume, Gongfucha, Discovery Punch and Beijing Beauty.

The Discovery Punch involves cooking black and green beans in water and sugar and then mixing them with spices.

"It will definitely surprise our customers," a manager at Atmosphere said.

Like any good bartender Cinalli's mixing skills go beyond drinks and he enjoys chatting with customers.

He said his job is to give people good memories and keep them coming back.

"The key of success is to realize what the customer is looking for, what the culture is looking for, and give it to them," he said.

When Cinalli sees customers walk into the bar he tries to read them like a book to serve them according to their tastes, which he said helps make people feel relaxed.

Cinalli grew up in a family full of chefs and waiters, which he said gave him an insight and understanding of customer psychology as well as how bars operate.

Another of Cinalli's talents is his mixing speed and style, which he impresses customers with.

"His movements behind the bar are mesmerizing and evoke the style of a world-class magician," a manager at Atmosphere said.

"The audience never knows quite what he is doing," she added.

Cinalli said he was excited to meet Chinese customers during his trip to Beijing.

"It is my first time I have traveled to the Chinese mainland," he said.

"I am going to experience a new country and new culture, and bring the influences back to my menu and customers," he added.

huangliying@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/16/2014 page10)