Now that the brisk autumn weather is fully descending on our city, there is an intimate, low-lit bar called Pop Corner waiting to warm us with their new cocktail menu.
The entrance rises out of the mist of Shaoxing Lu, through yellow lighting and a collection of toys in the window.
Photo by Maria Menand
The interior feels almost like a cheerful 1970s bunker to escape the chill of the changing seasons, and its flavor offerings are just as unique as some of that decade’s creations.
Photo by Maria Menand
Walking into the establishment, patrons are met by a grinning dog – the bar is pooch friendly – and must wind through a few passages for seating options.
Photo by Maria Menand
Finding place at the bar is a great way to watch beverage creation, as glasses slip forward to the front rooms, and through the back curtain to further hidden areas.
Photo by Maria Menand
There is a cozy, antique and buoyant feeling inside; while waiting for an order, one can scan for hidden action figures among the bottles behind the bar, or check out old furniture, knick-knacks and televisions.
Photo by Maria Menand
Photo by Maria Menand
During our visit, our cocktail guide was Tou Tou Chang, one of the three owners at Pop Corner, alongside her partners Lucky Huang and Folen Cheng. The trio are alumni of Union Trading Company and Flask.
Tou Tou Chang, one of the three owners at Pop Corner. Photo by Maria Menand
Tou Tou explains that the menu changes every four to five months, and is always based on inspired themes, such as their last title: 'Fine Dining.'
Photo by Maria Menand
The latest menu has been titled 'Celebration' – the 14 drinks on this playful page of cat cartoons, and what appears to be handwritten descriptions, following a medley of Western and Asian holidays.
March 17 – St Patricks Day (RMB98): Red Wine, Jameson, Bread, Cinnamon, White Wine, Green Apple, Chinese Clover. Photo by Maria Menand
We began our holiday time-lapse through the menu with the St. Patrick’s Day (RMB98), whose main base is red wine and bread-clarified Jameson, with a white wine and apple foam.
The beverage looks like a heady beer (and, mysteriously, does give off a hoppy aroma) and certainly brought the cheer of the Irish holiday to mind – it seemed to match the well-loved, scratched metal bar top and groups of people laughing over their drinks.
April 15 – McDonald’s Day (RMB108): Mezcal Verde, Onion, Pickle, Tomato, Basil, Potato, Coca Cola, Vanilla. Photo by Maria Menand
Telling Tou Tou we were after adventure, she advised trying the McDonald’s Day (RMB108), which (we're proud to say) was a holiday we had never heard of... and an absolute rollercoaster of taste – or should we say a Happy Meal in a glass.
The key alcohol is a mezcal fat-washed with sautéed onions, then clarified with dill pickle, and a tomato basil kind of ketchup concoction.
The foam is vanilla coke and potato, and – despite our skepticism – is incredibly pleasant to dip through en route to the liquid below.
No holds were barred in making this drink really feel like consuming a Big Mac and fries.
There is a magic to it as well, in the way the pickle seems to come through on some sips, but fade on others – exactly the way you strike upon pickle when eating a burger.
And we actually had to check that no meat was used, as the smoky mezcal in this combo gives a grilled sensation.
A surprise from start to finish, the drink could be described as an information overload... or as a Vegan reprieve for those missing hamburgers.
This was late night (or early morning?) fast food satisfaction.
January 5 – Harbin Festival (RMB98): Beefeater Gin, Northern Chinese Apple. Pine Needle, Coconut Milk. Photo by Maria Menand
Traveling forward, we hit the Harbin Festival (RMB98), which comes toppling with crushed ice and dressed in a tiny black jacket.
It looks like winter, yet tastes like summer – a sort of piña colada twisted toward northern apple and nearly floral flavors.
March 25 – Holi Festival (RMB98): Bacardi White Rum, Mango and Apricot Puree, All Spice, Mint. Photo By Maria Menand
The Holi Festival (RMB98) is a clarified rum cocktail, with a slightly musky aroma, though truly apricot in flavor. Exhaling after a thick gulp helps to discover the mint in this cocktail.
It’s fair to say that the Harbin Festival and Holi Festival are on the more standard accessible side of the cocktail list.
October 31 – Halloween (RMB108): Calvados, Apricot Brandy, Homemade Caramel Sauce, Apple, Cinnamon, Coriander, Pumpkin Cream Foam. Photo by Maria Menand
Lastly, given the season, it was impossible not to try the Halloween (RMB108), which is faithful to its name – pure pumpkin on top in a thick orange layer, and then sinking into a truly autumnal cinnamon apple Calvados bath.
It tastes like childhood memories and the excitement of jumping into leaf piles; preparing to eat candy until you’re sick and dressing up to play spooky games.
Tou Tou Chang creating the next Pop Corner menu? Photo by Maria Menand
Though named for the recently passed holiday, the Halloween, and all the 'Celebration' cocktails will continue to be available through the beginning of 2025, until the Pop Corner team choose their next menu theme.
Pop Corner, 35 Shaoxing Lu, by Shanxi Nan Lu, Huangpu District 绍兴路35号, 近陕西南路
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