Devil's Share

Whisky and cocktail bar in Xintiandi's North Block

Compared to the exciting nightlife developments that have taken place in Shanghai over recent years – think Yongkang Lu, Zhong Plaza and the emerging Hengshan Fang complex – Xintiandi often feels like old news; somewhere comfortable for tourists but of little interest to locals. The spate of openings on parallel Danshui Lu last year served to reinforce this view. Enter Devil's Share, an innocuous bar in the North Block that's a refreshing shot in the arm for the development.

The bar is a slightly awkward T-shape, but it's reasonably decorated and perforated with a standard jazz soundtrack. Whatever the devil's share refers to, it's obviously not his allotment of insulation and central heating. We were forced to move from the bar area as a discomforting draught repeatedly blew through every time the downstairs door opened. Things weren't much warmer elsewhere and we were forced to turn our jackets into makeshift blankets.

Like much to do with Devil's Share, the quality of the whisky menu is frustratingly uneven. Many of the distilleries you'd expect are there, and a few pleasant surprises too, but the omissions are glaring. Laphroaig, for instance, is completely absent and not a single Japanese whisky features either. A similar Old World bias can be found in the wine list where vintages from Europe predominate.

The above might tempt connoisseurs to head off to Whisky Corner or Project Wine, but the quality of cocktails is a reason to hold fast. True, the cocktail menu has unexpected absences of its own: no whisky sour or Moscow Mule. However, upon request the enthusiastic staff do concoct the former (108RMB) and it turns out to be such a good version of the classic – rich and vibrant, with less of the plastic taste found in bars that make theirs with syrup instead of sugar – that we wonder why it's off menu. A lesser sighted-cocktail in Shanghai, the 20th Century (98RMB) divests an appealing creamy aroma as you raise your glass, and has a well-rounded, fresh flavour that avoids being overpowered by the chocolaty crème de cacao. The only let down is that in a bar with just two other customers, our drinks take 15 minutes to arrive.

A sign outside declares staff are undergoing 'internal training'. We assume it's parlance for 'soft opening' and hope it doesn't take Devil's Share long to smoothen out the kinks. If it can, it should renew interest in Xintiandi, even among locals.