Shanghai — Pearls on a Necklace

Serene — A Cat, a Table and a Very Good Beginning

My first bar stop in Shanghai wasn’t particularly planned. I was strolling along Nanchang Road when something caught my eye through a window: a large, dining-sized table with a cat fast asleep on top of it. A few guests were already sitting around the table, while the bar team prepared drinks at a single, slightly elevated station. It was an unusual little scene, and I was curious enough to step inside. I’d also noticed something else from the street. There was no towering backbar filled with familiar spirits brands. Instead, the bottles looked remarkably similar, each carrying the bar’s own label. A good indication that the team was working with plenty of ingredients prepared in-house.

The menu offered a rather lovely introduction to the philosophy behind Serene. The Chinese name, 时霖, evokes the idea of time bringing its own gentle gifts, while Serene refers not only to a peaceful environment but also to a clear and calm state of mind.

In a world rather obsessed with speed and efficiency, the team speaks of slowing down and doing one thing well. A philosophy I can certainly appreciate. Especially when sitting at a bar.

My first drink was Tam, bringing together jasmine silver needle tea, sandalwood jasmine distillate, fino sherry, Lillet Blanc and dill olive oil. The menu told a much longer story about sandalwood, scent and the traditions surrounding jasmine tea. Quite a lot of thought behind one glass. Next came Jade Dew Through the Forest, combining light-aroma baijiu, daiginjo sake, Enshi Yulu umeshu and cucumber. Another drink with a strong connection to Chinese ingredients and the natural world. And because I was clearly in no hurry, I also enjoyed Earthen Brew, a highball made with coffee kombucha, bourbon, amaro, fig leaf, pineapple and a touch of saline.

Different combinations, beautifully put together, yet all remarkably easy to drink. Nothing felt complicated for the sake of being complicated. I stayed for a while, watching people come and go, the team preparing drinks and the little scene around that big table unfolding. A very pleasant first bar evening in Shanghai. And a reminder that sometimes the best reason to walk through a door is simply a sleeping cat.

A Rose by Any Other Name — Something Almost Sacred

Some bars find their way onto my list long before I arrive in a city. Others appear at just the right moment. A Rose by Any Other Name was a little bit of both. The bar had opened only a few weeks before my visit, which was already reason enough to make me curious. But there was another connection. I’d spotted a rather beautiful-looking Irish coffee on Instagram, left a comment, and shortly afterwards the bar started following me. Well, that settled it. I had to go.

The bar is closely connected to PAAL, another cocktail bar on Nanchang Road. PAAL is associated with Asian Aliens, the hospitality group reportedly founded by Crawford Su and Aya Guan. The idea behind the group is to develop different spaces with their own personalities rather than simply repeat the same concept. While PAAL is known for its minimalist approach and its combination of Nordic influences with Chinese ingredients, A Rose by Any Other Name takes a rather different direction.

Walking inside felt a little like entering a hidden chapel. A painted ceiling overhead, dark wood, muted beige and brown tones, and the bar team dressed in linen jackets.

Everything seemed to encourage you to lower your voice just a little. Not because you had to. It simply felt right.

There was something wonderfully peaceful about the room. Almost sacred, but without the solemnity. The kind of place where you settle into your seat, forget the street outside and realise you’re in no particular hurry to leave. And isn’t that already a rather good start to a bar evening?

The menu was refreshingly short. Just a handful of drinks inspired by familiar classics, with European spirits meeting Asian flavours. No elaborate presentations or unnecessary decoration. The drinks were carefully shaken and stirred, beautifully balanced and, most importantly, a pleasure to drink. The hospitality was warm and easy-going, which made the chapel-like surroundings feel welcoming rather than intimidating.

But there was one drink I had been thinking about long before I arrived. The Irish coffee. My dear readers will know that I have a bit of a love affair with Irish coffee. I rarely need much convincing to order one, and this particular version had already caught my attention on Instagram.

Its name? Irish Coffee Impressions. Irish whiskey, ruby port, coffee, cacao, miso cream and tonka bean powder. At first glance, it looked like a beautiful Irish coffee. A comforting little treat, perhaps even something on the sweet side. But appearances can be deceiving. The whiskey and ruby port brought warmth and a hint of dark fruit, while the coffee and cacao gave it that lovely roasted, bittersweet depth. And then came the miso cream. Now, that’s where things got interesting. Instead of simply adding sweetness, the cream brought a gentle savoury, salty note that made the whole drink feel richer and more layered. The tonka bean added a soft, fragrant finish, somewhere between vanilla, almond and a little spice. It was creamy, comforting and surprisingly savoury. Almost like an Irish coffee had met a rather sophisticated dessert and the two had decided to get along beautifully.

I loved it. Not because it was trying to reinvent Irish coffee completely, but because it took something familiar and gave it an unexpected little twist. Still recognisable, still comforting, yet with much more going on beneath that creamy surface. And that, in a way, suited the bar perfectly.

A Rose by Any Other Name had only just opened its doors, but the atmosphere already felt remarkably settled. The room had its own quiet character, the team made me feel welcome, and the drinks were thoughtful without making a fuss about it. I arrived because of an Instagram post and a particular Irish coffee. I stayed because I liked being there. A quiet little sanctuary on Nanchang Road, with something rather special hiding beneath the cream.

And another reminder that sometimes the best bar stories begin before you’ve even walked through the door.

A Rose by Any Other Name and PAAL Shanghai on Instagram

Speak Low — Behind the Bookshelf

Some bars are so well known that you arrive with certain expectations. Speak Low is definitely one of them. Founded by Shingo Gokan, it has been part of Shanghai’s cocktail scene for years and has appeared on international best-bar lists more than once. So naturally, I was curious. But first, you have to find your way inside.

The entrance is hidden inside a barware shop on Fuxing Middle Road. Among the shelves of cocktail equipment, there’s a bookcase that isn’t quite what it seems. I do enjoy a bar that makes you work just a little to get through the door. Once inside, Speak Low reveals different spaces, each with its own atmosphere. I chose the upper floor, which looked a little more intimate to me. A short bar counter, a seat directly in front of the bartender, and the chance to watch the drinks being prepared. Exactly where I like to be.

What can I say? I arrived expecting excellent cocktails and good hospitality, and I wasn’t disappointed. The drinks were beautifully made, the service attentive, and I enjoyed a lovely conversation with the bartender. Nothing particularly dramatic happened. No grand revelation. Just the pleasure of sitting at a good bar, enjoying what’s in the glass and feeling perfectly comfortable.

Sometimes that’s more than enough. And then there was the guest sitting beside me. During our conversation, they mentioned Swirl, the bar just next door, and told me that the tartare there was particularly good. Now, that’s the sort of recommendation I tend to remember. So instead of ordering something from Speak Low’s food menu, I decided to save my appetite for the next stop.

A good cocktail, a lovely conversation and a tip for where to go next. Not a bad evening at all. And rather conveniently, the next bar was only a few steps away.

Speak Low on Instagram

Swirl — Just Next Door

There are worse reasons to visit a bar than a recommendation for good tartare. Especially when the bar happens to be right next door. While sitting at the counter at Speak Low, a fellow guest had mentioned Swirl and its tartare. And since I hadn’t ordered anything to eat yet, that sounded like a rather good idea. So off I went.

Swirl takes a different approach to cocktails, with wine playing a central role in the drinks. An interesting change after the more classic cocktail experience at Speak Low. Naturally, I ordered a wine cocktail. And the tartare, of course. After all, that was the reason I’d come.

I rather like evenings that develop this way. No carefully planned route, no need to squeeze in another famous name just because it’s on a list. Simply a conversation with someone at a bar that leads you to another place worth discovering. One moment you’re enjoying a cocktail at Speak Low, the next you’re sitting at Swirl with a wine cocktail and a plate of tartare in front of you. Sometimes the best recommendations come from the person sitting next to you. And sometimes they’re only a few steps away.

Swirl on Instagram

Penicillin Shanghai — More Greenhouse Than Laboratory

Some bars deserve a second visit. Not necessarily because you missed something the first time, but simply because you’d quite like to spend a little more time there. Penicillin Shanghai was one of them. The bar originally comes from Hong Kong, where Agung and Laura Prabowo developed a cocktail concept built around sustainability, fermentation and making the most of ingredients that might otherwise go to waste. An interesting philosophy, especially in a world where we tend to throw away rather a lot.

And now Penicillin has found a home on Nanchang Road, adding another very different character to Shanghai’s collection of cocktail bars. On my first visit, I stayed on the ground floor. A lovely place to settle in with a drink and enjoy the atmosphere. I tried some of the cocktails, enjoyed myself and left with the feeling that there was still more to discover.

So I came back. For my second visit, I headed upstairs to the bar’s in-house laboratory. Now, when someone tells you that you’re going to have cocktails in a lab, you might imagine stainless steel surfaces, complicated equipment and a rather serious atmosphere. Perhaps even the feeling that you ought to put on a white coat before ordering. But that’s not how it felt at all.

To me, it was much more like sitting in a minimalist greenhouse. And I rather liked that. There was something about the space that made the experimental side of the bar feel inviting rather than technical. A place to sit, enjoy a drink and be curious about what might come next. And there was plenty to be curious about.

Penicillin’s approach to cocktails involves fermentation, repurposed ingredients and combinations that don’t always follow the usual rules. Behind each glass, there’s a good deal of thought about how ingredients can be used and what new flavours might emerge from them. I worked my way through quite a few cocktails over my two visits, and enjoyed them all.

Different ideas, different flavours, but always a pleasure to drink. Which, for me, is the important part. I appreciate the creativity behind an unusual ingredient or a clever technique. But I appreciate it even more when the result is a cocktail I genuinely want to finish. And perhaps that’s what stayed with me about Penicillin Shanghai. The sustainable philosophy is interesting, and the experimentation is certainly part of its identity. But the experience itself never felt like a lesson in either. It felt like being in a good bar. One evening downstairs, another upstairs in a space that reminded me more of a greenhouse than a laboratory. And plenty of reasons to be glad I returned.

Penicillin Bar Shanghai