As with any new location I go to, I tend to research some great cocktail bars that I want to check out. I made note of a couple of bars that I wanted to see while in Shanghai, but I hadn’t expected to visit as many as I did.. oops!

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Bar Eirekey

Back in February, Sean and I did the 28 cocktail tasting at Bar 1661 in Dublin (an exceptional bar!) and soon afterwards noticed they opened a sister bar in Suzhou, just outside Shanghai. We visited on my second night in China (after an experience of getting locked into a massive Chinese shopping mall, which is another story!) and was I delighted to introduce Lucy to a Belfast Coffee. I tried a couple of their drinks, each one as good as the last. It was a very empty bar, and I got the impression there isn’t much night life in this part of China. We were the only ones in the bar and got chatting to the bartender, who of course did one shift in Bar 1661 and it was the night Sean and I did our tasting. He also worked in New York for a couple of months, in the bar beside where I worked for my J1.

Sober Company

Sober Company is in a building in Fuxing Park, which also had sever floors of nightclubs, so I didn’t think it would be my thing but I was pleasantly surprised.  We had a choice of which bar we wanted to go to, as they were spread across three locations we dedicated to start at the top and work down. The first one we visited was a speakeasy called ‘Tipsy’ where we sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender. He made me an amazing take on a Manhattan with coconut, whey and banana, but Lucy’s drink was the winner – it was essentially a gin, with arugula. This was one of the most unusual cocktails I’ve tried and although it tasted like eating a salad, it was quite nice. 

After one drink, we decided to move next door, where I ordered the Rum Matcha Old Fashioned. It was aged in a coconut and also came with a fork to eat the chocolate matcha that made up part of the ice cube. Lucy went for the Apple Miso, which was nice and light. The bar was starting to close, so we went downstairs to look at the menu – they very kindly offered to make us a drink but we decided it was worth coming back another time. We came back again the next night, and sat at a high ledge behind the bar, so we got to see the cocktails being made. I went for the Pancake Old Fashioned and Lucy went for the Tiramisu, which she said was the best cocktail she’s ever had. They had a guest bartender upstairs, so we decided to check that out, however all of the cocktails seemed fish based so we decided to finish up and leave. 

Speak Low

The bartender in Tipsy recommended Speak Low as its by the same owner so we decided to pay it a visit. Arriving at the location, it was a small room with a man sitting at a table, when I enquired about Speak Low the wall behind him opened up into a dark hallway that led us to a small bar where we were seated. The menu here looked fantastic, but I went for a Benton’s Old Fashioned, as I’d made it at home but never actually had it from a bar. Lucy ordered the East of the Sun and we decided to get a cheese board and some Japanese fries. A cheese board in China is naturally more expensive and half the size of one from Dublin. Lucy went to check out the bar and stumbled across a map on the wall, when you pressed the button on Shanghai’s location, it opened into a much smaller bar with a very different menu. We added our names to the wating list but we left before we got to check it out. I also loved that there was a hole in the wall of the bar, which connected to the bar next door and was used by the staff to pass shots through. As we were leaving we asked if we could sign the wall but were told it was only for bartenders, when we explained about Landau, we got to sign the wall – a nice little part of Louise in China!

The Odd Couple

The final of Shingo Gokan’s bars that we got to check out. I loved the music in here, it was very 80’s and a much different vibe than the previous bars. I got a whiskey cosmo here and another take on a negroni, which with a Chinese spirit. The bar staff here were also super friendly, and we had a couple of shots with them. Lucy was making a little book for her friend of their time in Shanghai together, and the staff were all interested in it. 

Dentree

Dentree is a concept by Remy Cointreau (and Hope & Sesame), and is the first carbon neutral bar in the world. It was close to my hotel so I decided to try find it one night (and that wasn’t easy!). I arrived an hour before closing and the staff were exceptionally rude and unhappy that I was there. I ordered one drink, and pretty quickly ordered a second as I knew it would take time to make. The first cocktail was the Bee Rush with Port Charlotte, Calvados, Pineapple, Honey and Basil, and the second cocktail was the Now Or Never with cognac, rum, coconut, fig and balsamic vinegar. Both were exceptional but the service took away from it, especially when the table next to me got a flight of cocktails and when I enquired about it, the bartender made reference to me being told about last orders when I arrived. I finished my drink and left pretty quickly.

Pudao Wines

Not a cocktail bar, but worth a mention. On my last night I wanted to sit in a wine bar in the Former French Concession, so I brought us to Fergusson Lane where we found this stunning little place. The wine shop is downstairs, and then upstairs is a dark outdoor area with lights, overlooking the lovely flower shops below. Lucy found a wine from a vineyard close to her Uni in Germany so we decided to stay here for the evening enjoying the wine. 

Botanical Basket

This was a Russian Gin bar, that did some great cocktails. We went here my first night in Shanghai as Lucy knew the owner and wanted me to try the Pornstar Martini that they perfected for her. There was an amazing selection of gin and some great cocktails on the menu.

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There was one cocktail bar that I didn’t get to check out – Chimney, Hangzhou, as it was closed when we arrived for an event but I’ve been following them on Instagram and it seems like a great little dive bar that does exceptional cocktails. They have won awards for their cocktail menu and for bartender of the year.