Shaken or stirred, as long as it’s at home
A new breed of delivery services is letting you have craft cocktails anywhere but the bar
If you’re looking for a well-made drink in Shanghai, you’re spoiled for choice, with craft cocktail bars like Union Trading Co and Speak Low making waves both at home and overseas.
But now you don’t have to step foot in any of these places for a whiskey sour or martini, as a number of businesses bank on the city’s bourgeoning thirst for quality cocktails to offer the same kind of drinks for delivery in about an hour.
“You only need to be out in Shanghai on any given night, even on a Monday, to see crowded cocktail bars,” said Mark Connolly of Laiba Beverages, one such company. “We feel the market is more than ready to have craft cocktails available outside of the bar, either at home, at the office, or for a picnic in the park.”
Started in late 2017 by Connolly and two other Shanghai-based entrepreneurs, Laiba Beverages has tapped into this trend by selling bottled cocktails for delivery. They teamed up with bartender Michael Chen of The Cannery for the drinks, and you get libations like a rum-based number infused with red chili and kaffir lime, and a strawberry and rosemary gin cocktail. The bottles come in a six pack for ¥198, and they’re delivered in a stylish black box with cups, ice, and garnish. All you have to do is shake the bottle before pouring.
Arguably the first to offer this service, albeit in more basic form, is Drinkuaidi back in November 2016. Alongside beer, wine, and spirits, the website also sells seven kits based around a cocktail, The mojito set, for example, comes with Havana Club three-year-old rum — which some claim is intrinsic to making the drink authentically — as well as cane sugar syrup, fresh lime and mint, and soda. It sells for ¥260, and you get about 13 drinks out of it. According to operations manager Paul Bensard, sales of the kits make up about 15 percent of the company’s total figures.
The latest and biggest entrant to the game, however, is online booze juggernaut BottlesXO. They started out in 2015 selling wine, before expanding to beer and spirits. Now they’re launching their own selling cocktail sets starting at ¥235, with premium spirits, ice, mixers, and garnish. Depending on the sets, they can mix up anywhere between 8 to 25 drinks.
“We always intended to offer an even more convenient way for people to mix up top-notch cocktails whether they’re having a picnic in the park, throwing a rooftop party, or entertaining guests in the comfort of their own home,” said BottlesXO general manager Ludovica Damonte. “It’s a natural development in line with what we stand for in terms of quality and service.”
Despite the cheaper price, these cocktails-to-go are meant to complement rather than compete with cocktail bars out there. “Our guests don’t see our kits in a cheaper way to drink cocktails,” Bensard said. “They just want to experience something fun. And the more they having fun doing it at home, the more they will appreciate drinking in bars.”
Where to buy:
Laiba Beverages
DrinKuaidi
BottlesXO (cocktail sets launching on April 21)
