8 Summer Cocktails You Need To Try Now
Summer has rolled around once again, the sweet smell of fresh cut grass wafting through the air, a light summer breeze cooling you off as the evening takes hold. Oh wait, we’re in Shanghai scrap that.
Instead expect a wall of heat to descend on Shanghai, the flames of China’s seven furnaces engulfing the city in 100-degree oppressively humid weather. With that in mind, what better way to cool off than a specially made summer cocktail.
Shanghai WOW! went on the hunt to help you find eight of the best summer cocktails to help cool down when the heat really kicks in later this summer season.
SPEAK LOW
SHISO JULEP
RMB105
Ingredients: Hibiki Japanese Whiskey, Umeshu plum wine, Shiso leaves.
A twist on the classic Mint Julep, a traditional Southern favorite in America and also the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby, the bourbon is replaced with Hibiki and the mint with Shiso to give this drink a distinctive Japanese edge. For sweetness, plum wine is added and it’s served in a traditional metal julep cup. Finally it’s topped with lots of ice and garnished with a Shiso leaf.
Usually there’s an expectation that a summer cocktail is fruity and colorful, but Speak Low’s offering debunks this. The blended whiskey gives a lighter flavor, but overall the drink is refreshing with a strong powerful flavor followed by a sweet, sour mellow aftertaste. It’s not fruity and colorful, but has a real fresh summer feeling.
Address: 579 Middle Fuxing Road, near Ruijin Er Road
TOUR
GREEK OK
RMB85
Ingredients: Beefeater gin, homemade cucumber syrup, lemon juice, soda.
The inspiration behind the Greek OK is the simple idea to combine two summer favorites: cucumber and gin. This is a great combination and the team at Tour want to give their customers something they want in summer, but done very well. As they say, simplicity is genius.
The Greek OK is perfect for a hot day. It’s not too strong so you can sip on it without losing your head. As with all drinks at Tour, they come with a small bite to eat to complement the drink. In this case you get a mini “ghetto” Greek salad made of cucumber chunks and feta cheese, a fresh accompaniment to the drink. And if you don’t understand where the name of the drink comes from then just ask the barman…
Address: 462 Changle Road, near South Shanxi Road
EL OCHO
OAXACAN WORD
RMB108
Ingredients: Mezcal tequila, Green Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino cherry liqueur, lime juice, harissa, lime peel garnish.
Adapted from the Last Word, a gin-based prohibition-era cocktail developed at the Detroit Athletic Club, this offering from El Ocho switches the gin for Mezcal. It’s actually a twist on a Mexican style cocktail with an infusion of North African spice.
The addition of harissa, a Maghrebi hot chili pepper paste, really gives the cocktail a heavy spiced, pungent kick. On a hot summer day the very spicy, but slightly smoky hint, helps cool you down by causing you to sweat slightly. This cocktail might not be for everyone but the sweet, sour flavor balanced against the spicy heat is a very distinctive way to cool off.
Address: Zhong Plaza, 3F, 99 Taixing Road, near West Nanjing Road
WONDERLAND
MUSHROOM GARDEN
Ingredients: Gin, mint, fresh lime juice, mushroom sugar, bitters
As with everything in Wonderland, we are led into a fantasy world populated by peculiar happenings, and the Mushroom Garden is perhaps the route to this weirdness.
A deep green color, suggesting some sort of psychedelic potion, the smooth taste and tangy flavor reminds you of sucking on a Jolly Rancher candy. Garnished with mushroom, this may seem a strange combination (what else would you expect in Wonderland), but it works really well.
Address: 1311 Xinzha Road, near North Shaanxi Road
ABOVE THE GLOBE
MIDSUMMER NIGHT DREAMS
RMB110
Ingredients: Botanist gin, white wine (blended), lemon juice, concentrated passion fruit juice, and a splash of sparkling wine on top to finish.
Inspired by a beautiful vineyard on a late summer evening, relaxing after a huge banquet with a beautiful chilled Sauvignon Blanc in your hand, the Midsummer Night Dreams alludes to the theme of the bar as well as a dreamy soft summer feeling. Guys think this is a girly drink until they try it, after which it becomes a guilty pleasure.
The cocktail has a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc flavor, with hints of mint and fruity tones. Garnished with ‘sparkly’ grapes when in season, these grapes are filled with gas and pop in your mouth. This cocktail deconstructs the flavor profile of the alcohol and then uses other drinks to make the underlying flavor.
OLD SIMON MARTINI
Up to RMB150
Ingredients: Gin martini, barreled and aged in a rye barrel. When ready it’s bottled to settle.
This offering from Above the Globe is a complement to the Midsummer Night Dreams, which some men consider too girly. Each barrel is made on site and is given a ‘birth certificate’.
The Old Simon Martini is a very refreshing drink for a warm summer night, with a vanilla flavor and smoky tones. Expect a deep aromatic taste and a cool aftertaste. It’s served with a garnish of lemon.
Address: 7F, 1013 West Beijing Road, near Jiangning Road
LOGAN'S PUNCH
LOGAN’S SPIKED LEMONADE
RMB85
Ingredients: Fresh watermelon, fresh lemon juice, sugar water, jalapeno, and a choice of alcohol from rum, vodka, gin or tequila depending on taste.
The inspiration behind this summer drink from Logan’s Punch is a BBQ with friends. A hot Californian summer is perfect when the watermelons are ripe and sweet, and the spicy meat is cooking on the barbeque. It mixes a little US spice with a bit of Shanghai sweet, where watermelon is consumed the most in the world.
Unfortunately in Shanghai it may be too hot to sit outside under the sun in summer, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking in a sweet and savory cocktail inside, helping you to cool off from the raging furnace of one of the hottest cities in China.
Address: Zhong Plaza, 2F, 99 Taixing Road, near West Nanjing Road
DEUS
SWEET SUMMER SAGA
RMB78
Ingredients: White rum, Curacao, lime juice, Aloe Vera juice, syrup, fresh cucumber
The inspiration behind this cocktail is a true summer mood, a series of summer sagas, alluding to passion, spirit, fun and love. The white rum gives a lighter body to the drink, with a crisp clean taste, the Aloe Vera and cucumber juice cutting through with freshness.
The cocktail has a sweet and refreshing flavor, a real hit with both men and women. A beautiful look, garnished with a good-sized piece of cucumber, the Sweet Summer Saga is a definitive summer special.
Address: B1F, 158 Julu Road, near Ruijin Yi Road
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