Booze News: Irish Volunteer Returns, 50/50's New Menu

50/50's Refreshing New Summer Menu

50/50's Low Key Cucumber cocktail

Peach and cucumber are the foundational flavors of 50/50's new summer cocktail menu, which was released last week. The six-month-old Xingfucun speakeasy, hidden behind an unassuming entranceway between Cannon's and O'Steak, will run for three months alongside the regular year-round menu, also designed by head bartender Zhang "Mark" Wei.

Some of the standout drinks from the menu include the Peach Please! (RMB 90, made with fresh peach, dry sherry, honey, Thai lime, and light rum), and the High-Key (RMB 80) and Low-Key (RMB 90) cucumber cocktails. Of those, the cucumber flavors shine through more vibrantly in the High-Key, thanks to ingredients like the Creme de Cacao, fresh cucumber juice, mint, Thai lime, and cucumber-infused gin. It also has a lower alcohol content than the Low-Key, which is made with cucumber, Amaro, dry vermouth and rye whiskey. Both are incredibly refreshing, and when taken in the laid-back, softly lit bar, make for the perfect antidote to the scorching weather outside.

50/50 partner EJ always intended for the cocktail bar to be the kind of space where one could enjoy a real conversation, without fighting over loud music or downing endless overly stiff drinks. To that end, the bar also offers a handful of alcohol-free options including the Thai Iced Tea and the Citrus & Bitters (both RMB 50), and the newly launched happy hour deal, which runs from 7-9.30pm every night. For RMB 120, you can enjoy four different cocktails pre-selected by the bar (three of which are lower alcohol), an idea that EJ says was inspired by the beer flight concept, so that patrons can try out some of 50/50's different offerings without, well, getting totally wasted. Read our original review of the bar here.

Great Leap's Pizza Party

This Saturday, GLB's Lido location is hosting a pizza party fully loaded with top-notch beers from across the US. More than 40 brands will be available, and for RMB 200 you can have as your liver can withstand in the allotted time (noon-5pm, while supplies last). There'll also be free-flow pizza to help you soak up the booze.

Among the beer highlights: Free Bird, a fruity and hoppy pale ale brewed by Chicago's Begyle Brewing; a barrel-soured Blue Sunday Sour by Michigan's New Holland Brewing; and a Mash & Coconut, a bourbon barrel-aged barley wine ale by California's The Bruery. More details via QR code above.

RMB 200. May 25, noon-5pm. Great Leap Brewing Lido

Jing-A Wraps up Jing-Jing Beer Garden

On Sunday, May 26, Jing-A will wrap up its month-long beer garden at The Opposite House's Jing Yaa Tang with a closing party that features a live DJ and a free keg (i.e. first 50 beers). So be sure to get there early on Sunday, or swing by in the days before that to try their shrimp wontons, spicy popcorn chicken, wok-fried lamb with cumin, and other bites along with the Jing-A beers on tap in this sunken, intimate venue.

May 26, 5pm onward. 

Boxing Cat's Authentic New German Brew  

Starting May 22, Boxing Cat will launch its new ABV 5.5 percent Bromeo Hoppy Wheat beer. It's an authentic Hefeweizen replete with German hops, and boasting sweet melon, white grape, banana, and vanilla aromas. The Xinyuanli craft brewery team says that the beer's high carbonation and low bitterness "makes it taste like an aromatic juice." Sounds like the beginning of a real bromance to us.

Thirsty Thursdays at Fez Bar

For many Nali Patio regulars, the warm May weather can only mean one thing: it's time to stop by Fez. The veteran terrace bar is known for its elegant ambiance and its moreish cocktails. And while the F&B competition has gotten stiffer since it opened about a decade ago, Fez stays in the mix with a tempting 20 percent Thursday discount on its punch bowls and spirits bottles.

The Irish Volunteer Returns!

The luck of the Irish has struck once again in Lido. Nearly a year after shutting down at their original location opposite Lido Hotel, the beloved Irish pub will be back starting this weekend a stone's throw away at Fangyuan West Road, splitting the space with Buddy and Ganges. They're marking the comeback with live music starting at 3pm for a party that's sure to run late and get rowdy – it wouldn't be an Irish pub any other way.

Photos: pjproductions.co.uk, courtesy of the bars, lumdimsum.com, Jamaal Pemberton