Boyce picks up a cocktail for summer

Dozens of the city's best bartenders muddled and mixed, stirred and shook, poured and garnished at D Lounge as spirits distributor Diageo recently held the Beijing qualifier for its "world class" championship. Each bartender was asked to make one drink from a list of 10 classics and then wow the judges with an original cocktail, all as they explained their methodology and the history behind the drinks, with their peers welcome to look on and add to the pressure. This is undoubtedly the most intense cocktail contest in the city.

Expect Union Bar & Grille to soon offer a summer menu, including chicken papaya salad with feta cheese and yogurt dressing, yellowfin tuna sandwiches, Cajun chicken and avocado wraps, and pumpkin crème brûlée. Also of note, Union seems to be the local fave for the traveling basketball team Harlem Globetrotters. Several of the players, including 7'8'' tall Tiny Sturgess, made another visit to grab some eats, do a few tricks and sign autographs.

Opposite Hotel restaurant Sureno has opened its "sunken garden" for the spring. The food options include free flow of tapas from noon to 3 pm on Saturdays. Sureno also has one of the most extensive wine lists in the city. Restaurant Taverna in 1949: The Hidden City is currently featuring dungeness crab from the United States. And the Fairmont Hotel, fresh off hosting a free tasting of Napa Valley wines, will host a dinner with wines from well-regarded Sicilian producer Planeta on Saturday night.

The Steak Factory in Workers' Stadium lasted barely long enough to get a slab of meat well done. The signs there now are for Master Curry, with a note in the window simply saying the new place is "coming soon." Nearby, the Gallery Hotel has opened, with plenty of eye candy for the art installation crowd. An affiliated venue next door will include a series of demonstration kitchens, as well as a built-in TV studio to record cooking classes.

K's Kitchen, side by side with cocktail bar Mokihi on Lucky Street, is getting a growing following for its buy one get one free steak deal on Sunday nights. Café Carmelo in the Dongzhimen Moma apartment complex provides a generous pour on its already reasonably priced 35 yuan ($5.6) glasses of Australian wine. The pizzas are worth a try too. Relative bar and restaurant Brussels in Sanlitun South will christen its already revamped look this Saturday night with a free flow of Tsingtao and mixed drinks. Finally, nail salon and cocktail bar Frost has added seating and a barbecue outside. After your buff, get a burger and a salad.