Located near the Bund along East Beijing Road, The Nest is a sprawling F&B establishment with champion bartenders helming the drinks operations.

China’s top cocktail city

Earlier in April, Union received its biggest accolade yet when it was ranked ninth in the inaugural Asia’s 50 Best Bars Awards by Drinks International. The rankings, which was determined by votes cast by 154 experts of the bar scene in Asia, also affirmed Shanghai’s dominance of the cocktail scene in China.

Three of the establishments which made the list — Speak Low, Union and Constellation — are from Shanghai, while the fourth, Janes & Hooch, is from Beijing.

Speak Low, a speakeasy where the entrance is hidden behind a bookshelf, came out tops in China at second place on the regional rankings. Union was placed ninth, while Constellation, one of the veterans in the industry, came in at 42nd.

"Shanghai is absolutely China’s top cocktail city right now. The amount of talent, passion and support here is bar none compared to other cities in the country," said Yao.

One of the talents he was probably referring to is Shingo Gokan, the acclaimed Japanese mixologist who runs Speak Low. Gokan also runs the famous Angel’s Share bar in New York.

"Speak Low is considered the master of the Asian speakeasy concept. Shingo is considered the best Japanese bartender working outside of Japan and is an international star who mixes Japanese and Western styles," said Hamish Smith, the editor of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

"Yao Lu, on the other hand, has brought top notch, Western style hospitality to Shanghai. His drinks are great, but Academy members mostly enjoy his approach to service, the atmosphere and the way Union Trading makes them feel."

Smith shared that the decision to launch Asia’s 50 Best Bars, a spin-off of the annual World’s 50 Best Bars rankings, was the dizzying pace of development in the region. While the Asian cocktail scene is still not as developed as its North American and European counterparts, Smith is confident that it would narrow the gap in the coming years.

"Five years ago the Asian bar industry was dominated by Japan and Singapore, with Hong Kong just behind. In Asia’s 50 Best Bars we have restaurant bars, tiki joints and grand hotel bars to rival anything in the world, and right now it feels like there are more speakeasies in Asia than there were during the Prohibition Era," added Smith.