White Russian round-up in Shanghai

Now that Shanghai Dairy is no longer contaminating our milk supplies, we thought it was a good time to go out and discover one of the best drinks to warm your cockles during winter: the White Russian. A smooth, milky, winter tipple, White Russians are a hard cocktail to get right, so we stopped at four popular bars to find out who does them best in Shanghai. 

1. Japanese bar: Mardi Gras

White Russian, RMB 70
Superbly mixed and made with fresh whole cream, this White Russian is no Shirley Temple as the vodka still cuts through and reminds you you’re drinking an adult drink. Though a little on the small side, this tipple was still by far the best of the bunch -- no surprise coming from the Japanese bar representative. Japanese bartender Li Yuan was cold and calculating, just like his pours, when he said, “While this isn’t my drink of choice, I make it to the customers’ tastes. If they want it stronger or sweeter, that is not a problem.”
372 Xingguo Lu, near Tai'an Lu 兴国路372号, 近泰安路, +86 21 6280 7598

 

 

2. Classic cocktail lounge: Tara 57

White Russian, RMB 58
Like most of the drinks at this quintessential cocktail lounge, this White Russian came super-sized and well made. While good in every way, they went a little heavy on the cream, and given the size of the glass that meant we felt like we had eaten a meal when we were finished. Bartender Ken, who was mixing with only one hand as the other one was in a cast, said that he thinks "White Russians taste best served up in a martini glass without ice." We gave it a try and while we’re not sure he was right, he certainly did mix a mean drink.
2/F, 57 Fuxing Xi Lu, near Yongfu Lu 复兴西路57号2楼, 近永福路, +86 21 6431 7027

 

3. Dive bar: C’s

White Russian, RMB 15
Like everything else served here, this drink was small and cheap -- and that's why people keep coming back to this hidden dive for more. A bit light on the vodka and heavy on the boxed milk, “chocolate milk” are the words that best describe this cocktail. Jessie the bartender said, “I like White Russians because the alcohol taste is a bit milder than many drinks. If you want, we can put more vodka in.” We took her up on her offer. Though nowhere near as good as many of the other White Russians we tried, at the end of the day you could have four of these suckers for the price of one at any of the other places -- that's if you can find it.
685 Dingxi Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu 定西路685号, 近法华镇路,+86 21 6294 0547

 

4. Chinese super club: Bar 88

White Russian, RMB 50
Given the chaos surrounding us and Bar 88’s penchant for whiskey mixed with green tea, we weren’t expecting a whole lot when we ordered a White Russian at this joint. Chinese clubs are just not known for their cocktails. But with a fully stocked bar in the back, we thought Club 88 seemed like our best bet. Surprisingly, we got a rather nicely made drink that was not too heavy on the milk or Kahluha. Dodo the bartender took the club's "no photo" policy to heart when he told us, "If you don’t put your camera away I’m going to take it away from you,” when we asked him to comment on the drink he just made us. Other than this rather-too-strictly enforced no-pics policy, Bar 88 is a good time and the bartenders know their cocktails -- although we’re not sure milk-heavy drinks were made with techno music and booty shaking in mind.
2/F, Wujin Building, 291 Fumin Lu, near Donghu Lu 富民路291号2楼, 近东湖路, +86 21 6136 0288