In the past we've introduced the best places to get a cocktail in Shenzhen, and catalogued just about every craft beer bar (and what's on tap) in the city.
Now it's time for yet another round of awesome bars. Here are the five new places from 2017 that we enjoyed the most (so far), taking into account selection, atmosphere, service and value for money.
1. Ciao Amici Whisky and Cocktails
Cocktails here are works of edible art, each adorned with sprigs of pine or chunks of fruit and whole spices. We start with a light and sweet drink to ease into the night. The Lilium Fizz (RMB118) comes with baked egg white on top and a base of old Tom, a kind of sweet gin. When we bring the glass to our lips, the frothy egg white is trailed by fruity apple and fresh lemon juice, creating a creamy yet thirst-quenching first sip.
Another remarkable drink is Ciao’s lady (RMB98). Combined with yogurt and osmanthus liqueur，the cocktail delights with its smoothie-esque taste. “Balance is the key element of a great cocktail,” Xu says, now preparing a smoky coffee flavored drink called the Pop Negroni (RMB128). He lights up a cigar and collects the smoke before setting it into the cocktail, giving it a delicious aroma of burned wood.
Price: RMB100
Who’s going: demanding customers, tuhao
Good for: free perfume, making a proposal, sweet cocktails
Read our full review here. See listing for Ciao Amici.
2. FuBar
Beer is served in three sizes and prices: the medium an American pint, the large a much taller British pint. The American-sized RMB48 Chicken Street IPA is not the kick in the taste buds more hardcore IPA fans might want, instead its the fruity malty mix is an easy sip with a 6.5 ABV. Already attracting an even split of local and foreign patrons, FuBar sells golden ale at just RMB18 for a small – a handy introduction to those used to downing Tsingtao.
Word of advice: if you order the sexy cider (RMB28 small, RMB48 medium), go with a medium at most. It’s absurdly drinkable with an 8 percent ABV and is actually something closer to apple wine.
Price: RMB100 for two beers
Who's going: locals, expats, early evening families
Good for: pub fare, fresh brewed beer
Read our full review here. See listing for FuBar.
3. Haploid
The speakeasy Haploid has 16 signature cocktails, including the refreshingly tangy ‘I am Groot’ (RMB80). It comes in the guise of a potted plant, with a sprig of mint balanced atop an Oreo-crumb ‘dirt’ topping. The Yuan Yang drink (RMB98) is a little more traditional, adding whisky to the Hong Kong blend of milk tea and coffee. It comes served with a special treat, however: two triangles of toast, paired with a tube of Chivas-infused condensed milk.
With an entrance concealed inside a convenience store at the heart of Shopping Park's bar street and inventive drinks, Haploid feels like a clubhouse for the in-the-know.
Price: RMB80-160
Who’s going: trendy bar hoppers, cocktail sippers
Good for: creative concoctions, feeling fancy
Read our full review here. See listing for Haploid.
4. Luxury
Despite the name, the decor is unpretentious. Within the single-story space, twinkling Christmas-style lights hang above a long sofa that curves toward the bar’s dimly lit rear. Make no mistake, the drinks are premium priced, but the quality matches the cost. The first page of drinks on the bilingual menu is original to Luxury, the brainchildren of the head bartender, known simply as ‘Feng.’
Feng’s kiss – the drink, not the action – uses single malt whisky, pineapple and orange juice (RMB88) . In Chinese we’re told it’s like a real kiss: the first ‘taste’ is sweet but then it turns strong and a bit bitter. The RMB88 girl’s skirt has another moniker that invites a double entendre, but it’s also a sweet sip that should be taken seriously. By the time our lips touch the ice at the bottom of this egg-white-topped drink, we’ve deemed it one of the best ‘girly’ drinks we’ve had in recent memory.
Price: RMB100
Who’s going: in-the-know cocktail connoisseurs
Good for: quiet dates, drinks with a story
Read our full review here. See listing for Luxury.
5. Nakama
We’ll just go ahead and say it: outside of hotels, Bao’an District is a cocktail dead zone. Anything but a gin and tonic is likely to be screwed up by the district’s few bars, which seem to specialize in warm Tsingdao. That was until Nakama opened.
We start off with the smoky (RMB68), which sweeps across the palate with sour and sweet notes. If we were being poetic, we might say it opens a door to a flower-filled garden of flavors. But, nah. The money is everything (RMB68) makes good use of elderflower to create a distinctive aromatic, floral taste and the love in a puff (RMB68) uses peach juice and Japanese Choya liquor to produce a savory, fruity concoction.
Price: RMB100
Who’s going: neighbors, creative cocktail lovers, IT dudes
Good for: inventive cocktails, a light buzz
Read our full review here. See listing for Nakama.
Read more Shenzhen bar reviews and restaurant reviews.
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