Plenty of bottle

In the six years since he arrived in Beijing, bartender and manager Zhang Quanwei considers himself as much of a witness of China's cocktail scene as a participant. Zhang, a native of Shenzhen in Guangdong province, is a people person and loves talking with customers, especially foreigners, about the world's most exotic cocktails.

He learned bartending in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning province and spent 10 years working at several bars in Shenyang and Shenzhen but the 32-year-old finally settled down after landing the coveted job of bar manager at the Red Moon club in Sanlitun, where he gives his unique "B-52 Shooter" performance every Sunday night. Zhang has transformed himself from coffee bar assistant to what might be called a master "mixologist", an alcoholic's chemist, the creator of all good things.

Before coming to Beijing, Zhang worked as a traditionally British-style bartender at True Look, a well-known nightclub in Shenzhen. Adding a touch of flair to bar jobs started becoming fashionable in China the young man cast off his gentle demeanor to become a dazzling entertainer.