The venue, with long curved wooden bar and high triangular ceiling, boasts an extensive cocktail list, a good selection of single malt whiskeys and around 50 house-infused liquors including a Mezcal replica of smoke-infused tequila. To reach El Ocho, punters have to walk through a flower shop and up three flights of stairs. It features Zacapa rum, Prucia plum liqueur, sweet osmanthus wine, longan juice infused with sherry and creme de cassis, dried chrysanthemum flowers and a dusting of salty plum sugar on the rim of an earthenware cup.įlask 432 Shaanxi Nan Road, near Yongjia Road, Xuhui district, Shanghai, China +86 21 3368 6108 Signature cocktail: Taiwanese Plum Soup is a sweet but complex number that plays on the flavors of Formosa. The vintage Coca-Cola vending machine in the corner is the doorway to a classy bar that boasts over 100 bourbon and rye whiskeys, most of which you won’t find anywhere else in Shanghai.Ĭocktails, however, are the focus and are expertly mixed. Dave Taconĭon’t be fooled by the diner-style beer and burger joint that looks out onto South Shaanxi Road. "Robin Hood Roy," a signature cocktail at Flask, comes in a petrol-can-shaped flask hidden inside a book. No drinking establishment will transport you back to the jazz age better than the following speakeasy-style hidden bars (if you can find them): Once known among the travel set as “the Paris of the East,” mainland China’s most international city is fast regaining its 1930s reputation as being home to some of the world’s most sophisticated nightlife.Īnd in true speakeasy fashion, there’s a new breed of drinking establishments where the secret entrances – shielded by everything from a vintage vending machine to an eerie frosted mirror – are a large part of the excitement. The oldest member is 86-year-old Sun Ji Bing, just one year younger than the hotel itself. The art deco Peace Hotel opened in 1929 and has been hosting China’s elite and visiting celebrities ever since, including Charlie Chaplin and Ronald Reagan.Īnd entertaining the crowd on a nightly basis is China’s answer to the Buena Vista Social Club: the Fairmont Hotel Old Jazz Band, average age 82. Perfect pad thai and sticky beef ribs are served with hand-picked gin, margaritas and Trappist monk inspired beer.Shanghai’s golden era of the 1920s and ’30s may be long gone, but the city’s jazz babies are still swinging at the legendary Fairmont Peace Hotel on the Bund. A bar, Thai restaurant and club rolled into one, this venue is worth the stairs. But the tenant that put it on the map was Cookie. CookieĬurtin House was one of Melbourne’s first so-called ‘vertical laneways’. Then try neighbouring sandwich spot Croque Monsieur, another hole-in-the-wall gem for Melb-based Francophiles. Pair it with a refreshing glass of cider for the full French experience. Their savoury crepes (called galettes) come filled with ham and cheese, decadent truffle salmon and more. Peek down Scott Alley to find a slice of Parisian paradise at Roule Galette. If the weather turns it on, dine alfresco in the European-inspired laneway. Feast on rustic bistro fare like the incredible truffle-loaded pizzas. You’ll find it in a Victorian terrace on the corner of Bank Place and Little Collins Street. Dikstein’s is a narrow and cosy wine bar with an old-school pub vibe. This hidden gem might just be one of Melbourne’s best kept secrets.
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