Cherry Zhang, The Infusion Room Bartender Shaping the Softer Side of Beijing’s Cocktail Identity
Name: Cherry Zhang
Base: Beijing, China
Venue: Infusion Room, Beijing
Role: Bartender & flavour-development specialist
Known For: Calm, precise bartending and clean, aromatically layered drinks
Signature Style: Tea-driven infusions, modern Beijing botanicals, light floral profiles
Instagram: Public at time of writing
How She Entered the Craft
Cherry’s entry into bartending was not dramatic. It was gradual — the kind of career path that began with curiosity, stayed because of connection, and deepened because she discovered she genuinely enjoyed the work.
She started in hospitality helping with service at small venues around Sanlitun. At night, she often found herself drawn toward the bar, listening to bartenders discuss balance, aroma, dilution, and structure.
For Cherry, bartending felt like a blend of craft and intuition.
So she asked for training.
Her early days were spent practicing fundamentals long after closing:
measuring, stirring, shaking, tasting, rejecting what didn’t feel right.
Bit by bit, she found her confidence growing behind the bar.
Finding Her Rhythm at Infusion Room
Infusion Room is one of Beijing’s quiet gems — a small, intimate bar known for refined drinks, gentle lighting, and a serious approach to flavour. Unlike louder nightlife spots, this bar leans into elegance.
Cherry found her voice here.
The bar’s ethos relied heavily on teas, herbs, and infusions — a natural fit for her palate.
She gravitated toward:
• jasmine and osmanthus aromatics
• light aged spirits
• delicate fruit extractions
• subtle spice expressions
• Beijing-sourced botanicals
Her cocktails weren’t showy. They were soft, calm, restrained — the type of drinks that impress subtly rather than loudly.
Regulars often describe her bartending style as “quiet confidence.”
Crafting Drinks with a Beijing Sensibility
Beijing is a city of strong contrasts — steel-and-glass modernity next to centuries-old hutongs. Cherry likes expressing that contrast in her cocktails.
She often plays with:
• traditional Chinese teas
• regional fruits (like Asian pear, apricot, longan)
• local honey
• aromatics like goji, chrysanthemum, Sichuan pepper
Her drinks carry the DNA of Beijing:
elegant, seasonal, and grounded in cultural familiarity.
To her, the best cocktails are the ones that feel both modern and deeply rooted.
Her Approach to Hospitality
When Cherry talks about bartending, she rarely starts with cocktails.
She starts with people.
She believes bartending in Beijing is less about prestige and more about atmosphere — especially as more locals begin exploring cocktails for the first time. She has a talent for putting guests at ease, guiding them gently toward flavours they might not expect.
Her hospitality philosophy:
• Listen first
• Recommend thoughtfully
• Keep the bar comfortable, not intimidating
• Match the drink to the person, not the trend
This is why so many guests return — not only for drinks, but for the way she makes the bar feel like a pocket of calm in a fast, complex city.
The Challenges of Being a Female Bartender in Beijing
Beijing’s bar scene is evolving, but still traditional in many ways. Women in bartending face familiar hurdles — assumptions about skill, reluctance from some guests, and the pressure to prove themselves twice over.
Cherry handles it without drama.
She lets her work speak.
She lets consistency win.
Her dedication has earned her quiet respect within the bar and among regulars who trust her palate without question.
Why Her Story Matters
Cherry represents a new wave of bartending in Beijing:
Women stepping forward in a male-heavy craft
Cocktails that fuse Chinese ingredients with modern technique
A style rooted in subtlety rather than spectacle
A softer, more approachable face of Beijing nightlife
Her story is not loud — but Beijing doesn’t always need loud.
It needs bartenders like Cherry, who bring refinement, care, and steady excellence to a city known for acceleration.
She is the reminder that sometimes, the drink that defines a night isn’t the most dramatic —
it's the one made with attention, warmth, and quiet mastery.
