Barules

Flashily presented cocktails that still need a bit of work

Located a stone's throw from the similarly retro-styled Union Trading Company, Barules features a pressed tin ceiling reminiscent of Senator's and a set of shirts-and-braces-wearing staff who could fit in at any number of speakeasy-style joints around town. But they're trying to stand out from the crowd with some lavish methods for presenting their drinks.

The Shou (92RMB) mixes Japanese whisky, plum wine, cherry liqueur, maple syrup, lemon and Peychau's Bitters. Unexpectedly, it arrives in a palm-sized wooden box covered by a decorative fan. The cocktail, while a little awkward to drink from the square box, is well-balanced, delicate and sweet, more from the plum wine than the maple syrup, which is not overly distinguishable.

On an extensive cocktail menu that includes drinks with up to nine ingredients (the Gorgeous at 82RMB), the Great Gatsby (88RMB) stands out as a more minimalist choice, although again the presentation ends up being anything but. This drink mixes only four ingredients – maraschino liqueur, Pernod and Fernet Branca with a bourbon base – but the bartender VBarrives at the table with two glasses in hand: the first containing the whisky-colored liquid, and the second, a lowball glass containing a large ice cube with a pinecone nestled on top. The barman then proceeds to pour the cocktail over the pinecone and light it on fire.

It's an eye-catching way to present a drink, but aside from a faint aroma of burning woodland, it seems to do little for the flavor of the actual cocktail (not to mention that it's difficult to know the correct etiquette for removing the smouldering fauna from the glass). Instead, the drink is dominated by an aniseed flavor courtesy of a liberal pouring hand when adding the Pernod, making for a disappointing sip overall.

Fortunately, the decor isn't so overwrought – the velour-backed benches and leather chairs are comfortable and the embossed wallpaper, which has the potential to look tacky, is perfectly executed. Near the door, a staircase leads to a mezzanine area with a piano which would be perfect for an intimate drink, however downstairs seems more atmospheric and allows for a view over the bar.

It's not a bad place to sit back and enjoy the cocktail-making show, but at these prices we'd prefer a little more focus on what's going into the glass than what's going on around it. As with Flask, it's a good bar to bring people to for its initial impact, but Barules will need to refine its drinks if it wants to truly stand out from Shanghai's crowded speakeasy-style bar scene.