Nestled on Hefei Lu and a brisk 10 minute walk from Xintiandi, Funky Monkey seems to appear out of nowhere in the street, a spot you might miss if you weren’t looking carefully.
Two-story café by day and bar by night, Funky Monkey is a serious bar with an intimate vibe inside. At the bar itself, conversations are reduced to quiet murmurs and the clinks of glasses. Laoban Jeff is particularly proud of his playlist – name five songs (artist and song title) in a row, and you can receive a free drink from the top shelf of a truly massive collection of tequila, rum, vodka and of course, whisky.
In fact, the whisky is probably what brought you to Funky Monkey in the first place. Spouting off an impressive list of facts about each and every bottle he has, proprietor Jeff has cultivated a collection of some of the best in the world, citing his four criteria for determining the value of a whisky: color, smell, taste, and how it feels going down your gullet.
For the inexperienced whisky drinker, he recommends something with less peat, such as Benromach 10-year-old single malt Scotch (RMB65). To us, very smooth and with a rich, creamy aftertaste.
Cocktail of the month hails from Antony’s Wunderbar in Frankfurt, Germany. Antony is a personal friend of Jeff’s and apparently gave him the recipe as an opening gift. Sweet and delicious with a serious punch, it intermingles ginger, cucumber, orgeat syrup lemon and no small amount of gin for RMB65.
Funky Monkey regularly has a small selection of guest beers to choose from. We sampled a Colomba white beer, a French import, for RMB50. It had a slight flavor of orange that was pleasant but the overall taste was a bit weak and felt watered down – like a slightly alcoholic ginger ale. Next time we’ll stick with what Funky Monkey does best – whisky, and lots of it.
We'd definitely come back to Funky Monkey for a low-key night and some serious drinking. They currently only take cash or payment via WeChat but are in the process of expanding their payment system. Luckily Funky Monkey's motto is fitting: 'Serious Drinks, Great Music, No Wankers' – we didn't see a single wanker the entire night!
Price: drinks from RMB40 + (no happy hour)
Who's going: expats
Good for: no-fuss alcohol, small groups, dates, casual drinks
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