Attila Balint is showing his romantic side this summer. Not only is he newly married, but he's found a way to express his enchantment with the Forbidden City, one of his favorite places in Beijing.

"I first came to Asia in 2010, on a trip to Japan. Asia is so different - I just fell in love with it," he says.

He has since found his way to Hong Kong, to Taipei and now to China's capital, where he runs the bar Atmosphere, on the 80th floor of the China World Summit Wing. The Hungarian mixologist and his team have crafted eight cocktails and four "mocktails" for a pop-up menu inspired by the former imperial palace and the area's rich history.

That's a fairly extensive "liquid journey", as Balint calls it - so if you plan to go all the way, it might be a good idea to take a couple of friends along for the tasting.

In our group, the favorite may have been the very first drink prepared, which Balint has named Map of Beijing. "It has a base of pisco, a summer spirit that's very refreshing," he says. A series of other ingredients - fresh lemon, coffee beans muddled with sugar and salt, French plum liquor and orange peel - create layers of flavor that vary sip by sip.

Balint's own favorite, Golden Water Bridge, gets its currents of sweetness from rum, walnut, sesame, milk, honey and chocolate. What's not to like?

More difficult to grasp, like its name, is the Palace of Heavenly Purity. It features local hawthorn both in jelly form and infused in a premium tequila, plus Drambuie, Pechaud bitters and some homemade bitters that exude licorice and hazelnut. It's served in a bowl that's a miniature of a footed ancient copper vessel - reflecting both the Forbidden City theme and the barman's scavenger hunt to find the perfect cup for each cocktail invention. (He found these in a Nanjing restaurant, and some others in Beijing's Panjiayuan Antique Market.)

Pavilion of Rain and Flowers starts from a distillation of small-batch grape wine, whose fruitiness is cut by the additions of jasmine vodka and vermouth. The most complex may be the Glory Palace, which Balint concurs is the most layered and the most difficult to make. His colleague Tom, in fact, is its creator: he combined a sour base of Chinese red date with clove syrup and bourbon.

"I don't see Atmosphere as a cocktail bar," says Balint. "I want to make it an experience."

This summer, you can experience the Forbidden City in air-conditioned comfort, from a cozy barstool with a bird's eye view of the imperial landmark far below. Each drink is priced at 90 yuan ($13.50 ), subject to a 10-percent service charge and VAT.

If you go

80/F, China World Summit Wing hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Avenue. 010-8571-6459.

michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/29/2016 page19)