Ask five bartenders what makes a highball and you'll get seven answers. On its surface, it's booze and soda, but how strict is the two ingredient thing? Must one be carbonated? What if you add bitters? What if you don't stir? What if you replace the soda with, God help you, ginger ale?

This article is not about the controversy, because while adults arguing with religious fervor about whether a Tom Collins is a highball can be hilarious in person, it doesn't come across well in print. I demand only that my highball be 1) refreshing and 2) alcoholic. I present seven excellent places to get highballs, whatever that might mean to you, in Shanghai.

Get drunk. Stay hydrated.