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Last updated: 2015-11-09

Sundowners: 16 Summer Cocktails

On the hunt for the perfect summer cocktail, we bring you a photographic journey through things sweet, chilled and refreshing...

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    1.

    Rockabilly Juice, 80rmb @ Hepcat

    The guys behind Inferno opened this homage to the 50's last month. The place is decked out in B-movie posters, snapshots of old rock gods and a few gold records. They've even got a Wurltizer-inspired jukebox in the corner that belts out vintage tunes for free. The cocktails have kitschy names like "Rockabilly Juice". That's what you see here: Spiced rum, black tea, and fresh-squeezed lemon and orange juice in a mason jar with a handle.

    Hepcat

    2/F, 359 Kangding Lu, near Shanxi...
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    2.

    Shuckster, 85rmb @ Hepcat

    Hepcat's Shuckster is a cross between a Moscow mule and an mint julep. They mix bourbon, green Chartreuse, rosemary syrup, grapefruit juice and ginger beer and serve it in a sexy copper cup.
    And while we're on the subject of shucking, Hepcat serves imported New Zealand oysters every Thursday. 188rmb a dozen. Learn more about that here.

    Hepcat

    2/F, 359 Kangding Lu, near Shanxi...
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    3.

    MF Gin Sour, 68rmb @ Cu2

    When Michael Wendling and Fanny Cervera opened French restaurant Cuivre back in 2011, it came with this weird little extra space. They finally put it to good use a couple of weeks ago with a tiny, laid-back little lounge called Cu2. Cu2 is the chemical sign for copper, "2" is the sequel. This is their gin sour, vigorously shaken with fresh lime, aperol, elderflower syrup and a some egg whites for a little bit of froth on top. Those little flowery patterns on top are drops of bitters. Nice touch, eh?

    Cu2

    1502 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near...
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    4.

    CU Two Morrow, 68rmb @ Cu2

    Cu2's CU Two Morrow is the tequila drink for people who don't like tequila. A liberal splash of pineapple juice, lemon juice and blue curaçao take all the edge off.
    Also not to be missed here are Cu2's gourmet hamburgers. Chef Michael Wendling does them up with truffle mayo, black pork meatballs and fancy cheeses like Roquefort and raclette.

    Cu2

    1502 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near...
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    5.

    Grapefruit Collins, 80rmb @ The Tailor Bar

    Local cocktail maven Eddie Yang has cut a deal with a cafe hidden upstairs from a Chinese medicine shop by Jing'an Temple. By day it serves coffee. After sunset, Yang mixes custom cocktails. No menu. Just pick your poison and let Yang impress you. (Hence the name "Tailor Bar") I gave Yang one word: "summer." This is what he came up with: a clean and refreshing mix of gin, fresh lemon juice, grapefruit liqueur and bottled sparkling water.

    The Tailor Bar (Jing'an Temple)

    4/F, 2 Huashan Lu, near Yuyuan Lu
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    6.

    The Feijoa Cocktail, 80rmb @ The Tailor Bar

    For round two, Yang explored some uncharted territory for me: Feijoa. It's a small fruit with an avocado-looking skin that grows in South America, New Zealand and in parts of the Caucasus. New Zealand Vodka maker 42 Below flavors a vodka with it. Yang mixes it with a little mint and lemon to exotic results. I'm still not sure I can wrap my brain around this one, but if you're an adventurous drinker, it might be worth a try.

    The Tailor Bar (Jing'an Temple)

    4/F, 2 Huashan Lu, near Yuyuan Lu
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    7.

    Hine-Kau-Ataata, 75rmb @ Tiki China

    This bar is a welcome addition. Shanghai has long been lacking a place that specializes in strong, fruity rum drinks. And bar manager Jackie Ho gives this drink genre an air of dignity and sophistication. You'll walk out of here knowing more about rum then you ever needed to know. Pictured here is a dangerously quaffable mix of light rum and Malibu with lime juice, coconut and fresh mint.

    Tiki China

    Hengshan Fang, Bld 22, 320 Tianping...
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    11.

    Peaches & Thieves, 75rmb @ Union Trading Company

    Popular locavore chef Austin Hu of Madison has teamed up with Yao Lu (formerly The Alchemist and The Public) have joined forces for this three-floor temple to the craft cocktail gods. Peaches & Thieves is probably the most summery use of eau de vie and brandy I've ever tasted. Yao mixes that with homemade peach nectar and a fresh-pressed citrus blend.

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    12.

    Waltzing Matilda, 78rmb @ Union Trading Company

    This champagne cocktail employs judicious use of gin, white wine and lime juice prettily presented in a tall flute. It's got "brunchtime binge" written all over it. Unfortunately, these guys don't do brunch. They do, however, offer a great selection of bar snacks with names like "Token Chicken Wings" and "Vote for Pedro" (i.e. tater tots, geddit?).

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    13.

    Irma La Douce, 78rmb @ el Ocho

    Willy Trullas Moreno has snagged a gorgeous space just upstairs from his new tapas bar Tomatito — lots of exposed brick, old timber, vaulted ceilings. Behind the bar is Aaron Feder, a self-proclaimed "cocktologist" with a stripe of Punky Colored hair on top of his head. He's got a lot of crafty little cocktail tricks up his sleeve. This is one of his simpler creations: a bracing mix of gin, chartreuse and fresh lime and grapefruit juice muddled with cucumber and sugar.

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    15.

    Thai Punch, 70rmb @ Starling

    This lounge by Drink Magazine publisher Theo Watt resembles something out of an early Orwell novel, and you half expect to see gin-blossomed, blue-blooded Britons sipping Pimms, complaining about the help. Watt's drinks, of course, don't disappoint. His Thai Punch is exemplary: Bombay Sapphire, Thai cilantro, lime juice and simple syrup laced with a splash of pastis. It's best enjoyed with a plate of satay or fish cakes by Brian Tan.

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    16.

    Serenity, 75rmb @ Speak Low

    You've probably walked past this place, wondering why some idiot would open a specialty high-end bartending gear boutique. Joke's on you, buddy. There's a bar upstairs. Speak Low is where quiet people go to drink and contemplate expertly-made cocktails. This selection is based on a homemade "lychee-cello" mixed with ruby red grapefruit and just enough rosewater to not be obnoxious. Speak Low also has a third floor space that's even more quiet and more exclusive and, as you'd probably guess, more expensive. Drinks there start at around 110rmb. It's all labor intensive stuff made with premium spirits. Definitely worth checking out.

    Speak Low

    579 Fuxing Zhong Lu, near Ruijin Er Lu
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    17.

    Taxi Colada, 85rmb @ Speak Low

    You've got to love Japanese cocktail bar that doesn't take itself so seriously. This is Speak Low's variation on the piña colada. It's made with fresh pineapple juice, lime juice, sugar, a bit of cinnamon and coconut water (not coconut cream). They keep it frozen in a slushy machine and dispense it in this little custom made cup to-go cup. They even give you a straw. Perfect for the discerning drunk on the go. They also do an Irish coffee in a plastic cup. It looks like something you'd get at Starbucks.

    Speak Low

    579 Fuxing Zhong Lu, near Ruijin Er Lu
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