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The best frozen cocktails in Shanghai

Cool down during summer with these boozy iced-up drinks

By Rupert Hohwieler Posted: Monday July 12 2021

Photograph: Rupert Hohwieler
It’s been a sweltering week and temperatures are soaring in Shanghai right now. From here, things are only going to get hotter and one of the best and booziest ways to navigate a scorching summer is by embracing iced-up frozen drinks. From frosé to margaritas, here are ten freezing bevvies around the city to cool you off.
Frozen Passion Fruit Margarita at Cantina Agave
Photograph: Rupert Hohwieler

Frozen Passion Fruit Margarita at Cantina Agave

People adopt all sorts of approaches to beat Shanghai’s borderline unbearable summer heat, from air-con hugging to increasing daily ice cream intake, but frozen margs at Cantina Agave is another – regardless of whether it’s straight after work or as soon as the restaurant opens at 11am (there are worse ways to start the day). Picking your choice of poison isn’t easy, but with passion fruit you’ll get the punchy taste of the tropics. 55RMB.


What’s in it Diligencias tequila, Cointreau, passion fruit juice.

Frozen Banana Daiquiri at Tacolicious
Photograph: Rupert Hohwieler

Frozen Banana Daiquiri at Tacolicious

The team at Tacolicious playfully claim the slogan of ‘making tacos great again’ but they also do a decent job of propping up the daiquiri – the classic Cuban cocktail comprised of rum, sugar and lime juice. Order it in frozen form and add fresh banana to the equation for an ice-cold booze-laden drink that also looks the part with its flowery garnish. Unless you have an Ernest Hemingwayesque tolerance, a few of these will leave feeling like the fruit itself (bananas). 65RMB.


What's in it Fresh banana, rum, lime agave.

Frozen Piña Colada at Abbey Road
Photograph: Rupert Hohwieler

Frozen Piña Colada at Abbey Road

The folks at Abbey Road clearly see value in blended up sun soothers: a section of the menu is dedicated to frosty drinks. When in lazy mode – weather enforced or not – bring out your inner beach bum with the creamy frozen piña colada. Although the space may be more suited for beer-paired sport watching than as a faraway resort reminder, this timeless mix of Malibu, rum, pineapple juice and coconut water poured into a cherry-topped glass contains all the vacation vibes you need. 55RMB.


What’s in it Malibu, Barcardi, coconut milk, pineapple juice.

Kojimato Productions at The Nest
Photograph: courtesy The Nest

Kojimato Productions at The Nest

Who says slushies can’t be swish? Hopefully no one, but if you do have any misplaced pre-conceptions, you’ll have to leave them at The Nest’s door because this sparkling red refresher certainly is snazzy and it’s also not basic. Instead, this treads into complex territory with all sorts of contrasting flavour profiles produced from its Japanese-inspired ingredients: fruity from watermelon, herbal from green tea and savoury from tomato and koji. 108RMB.


What’s in it Patron Silver Tequila, aquavit, empirical ‘ayuuk’, tomato and green tea cordial, kombucha vinegar, watermelon juice, shio koji, black pepper, basil.

Coronarita at Chihuahua
Photograph: Rupert Hohwieler

Coronarita at Chihuahua

A new addition to the roster at this bright and cute Mexican hangout – decked out in blue, white and yellow – the Coronarita comes with a bottle of beer tipped upside down inside a frozen margarita that somehow manages to hold onto most of its volume. It’s two drinks in one, basically. 


If a straight-up marg is more your thing, Chihuahua also blends up great margaritas that are a bargain at 45RMB, and a downright steal during happy hour at 30RMB (5-8-pm, Tue-Thu).

Frozen Tamarind Margarita at Maya
Photograph: Rupert Hohwieler

Frozen Tamarind Margarita at Maya

Mexican hotspot Mayita has its margarita handiwork down to a T and while the same ones can also be sipped at sister restaurant Maya on Julu Lu, it’s the terrace here – overlooking Huangpu and beyond – that’s begging for a slushed-up tequila session of one, two, three (definitely more) margaritas. Try the chilli-sugar rimmed frozen tamarind flavour that nails the fruit’s balancing act between sweet and sour, while pickled jalapeño gives it a slightly spicier dimension. 


What’s in it Tequila, triple sec, fresh squeezed sour mix (lime and orange), pickled jalapeño, tamarind reduction, sugar, chilli-sugar rim.

Frosé at M on the Bund
Photograph: Jane Chen

Frosé at M on the Bund

Up until around five years ago, rosé and slushies were put up against one another for the title of sip of the summer before the powers that be in New York decided to settle the debate by combining the two into one glittering iced-up pink drink. You can get your fix of this blitzed berry and wine blend at M on the Bund where the restaurant uses fresh strawberries, lemon juice and a South African rosé for a light summery tipple made even sweeter by the wonderful Bund view seen from terrace. 98RMB (plus 10 percent service).


What’s in it Rosé, fresh strawberries, lemon juice.

Frozen Mango Margarita at El Santo
Photograph: courtesy El Santo

Frozen Mango Margarita at El Santo

You can get up to plenty of mischief down in Found 158 and such fun is only accelerated by a few too many frozen margaritas at El Santo. Their mango tipple is your smoothest weapon, ahem, fruit of choice – a wickedly cold blend of mango puree, fresh lime juice, tequila and triple sec. They zip through you at a rapid but welcomely refreshing rate, so save your regrets for the morning and embrace the impending hangover as well as the brain freeze. 55RMB.


What's in it Mango puree, fresh lime juice, Olmeca Tequila, triple sec.

Frozen Mezcalita at Espiritu
Photograph: Rupert Hohwieler

Frozen Mezcalita at Espiritu

At Espiritu, a tucked away shrine to agave-based spirits, everything is given the mezcal treatment, with delightful results. The Mezcalita (as in mezcal margarita) switches in Palomo Espadin for your standard tequila, mixed with lime, Cointreau and a wedge of grapefruit to garnish. For something different, the bar also blends a chilly frozen pineapple smash with crushed pineapple, mint and a jalapeño-infused mezcal (78RMB). 98RMB.


What’s in it Mezcal Palomo Espadin, lime, Cointreau.

Hot Frozen at X Bar
Photograph: Rupert Hohwieler

Hot Frozen at X Bar

A stint on the streets isn’t the only way to make you sweat in Shanghai during summer, spend a disco-fuelled night at X Bar and you’ll feel the heat just as well. Cool yourself down after showing off your best moves with this cold mezcal and passion fruit combo that also packs a punch needed for dance-mode through an injection of ‘firewater’ (vodka overly infused with chilli). If you don’t want to risk having it knocked out of your hands, come for the bar’s cocktail hour at 9pm (Wed-Sat) where you can drink it seated, like a civilised person. 88RMB.


What’s in it Beneva Mezcal, lemon juice, coconut syrup, Grand Marnier, passion fruit, firewater.

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