Once known as the Paris of the East (or in less flattering circles, the Whore of the Orient), during the 1920s and 1930s Shanghai was known for its raucous trading and ruinous nightlife. A century on, the red light bars and opium dens may be gone, but Shanghai remains an alluring prospect after dark. Slide onto a velvet bar stool at an atmospheric jazz bars, dress to the nines and strut around glamorous rooftops, or hang out in hip 'anti'-speakeasies gulping down punch. Here are a few options from China expert Lee Cobaj to get you started.
The Bund
The Long Bar
Opened in 1910 as a British gentlemen's club and now part of the beautifully restored Waldorf Astoria on The Bund, the Long Bar was the place to be during Shanghai's heyday. Its most famous imbiber: Noël Coward, who once laid his cheek against the bar's 110-feet of mahogany and declared that he could see the curvature of the earth in it. A century on, it's still a gorgeous spot for a sophisticated tipple, with teak panelled walls, aged leathers, swirling fans and one of the finest collections of whisky in town. Live music is performed most nights.
Contact: 00 86 21 6322 9988; hilton.com
Nearest metro: East Nanjing Road
Opening times: Mon-Sun, 4pm-1am
Price: £££
Getting in: Reservations recommended on weekends. Business/smart dress code
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M Glam
Artfully strewn with pink love seats, antique candelabras and silk screens, and positioned in one of the Bund's most arresting old buildings, M Glam certainly lives up to its name. The crowd are affluent creative types – artists, fashion designers, writers – who regularly gather for cultural events, such as the Shanghai Literary Festival. Order a Saffron and Spice (saffron-infused brandy, apricot bitters, lemon, and star anise syprup) and work the room, admiring Glam's dazzling art collection (most of the pieces have come from the owner's private collection).
Contact: 00 86 21 6350 9988; m-restaurantgroup.com
Nearest metro: East Nanjing Road
Opening times: Daily, 5pm-late
Price: ££
Getting in: Smart casual dress code
Jazz Bar at the Fairmont Peace Hotel
They've been a regular fixture for more than four decades, have a combined age of over 500 years and have played for dignitaries from across the globe including US presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton – the Old Jazz Band at the Art Deco Fairmont Peace Hotel are literally the oldest swingers in town. Settle into the Jazz Bar's plush Edwardian surroundings – dark woods, red velvets, gothic chandeliers, waiter in white tunics, the faint whiff of cigars – and listen to smooth renditions of 'Moon River' and 'Night and Day'. It's a little touristy but beautifully done.
Contact: 00 86 21 6321 6888; fairmont.com
Nearest metro: East Nanjing Road
Opening times: Daily, 6pm-2am
Price: £££
Getting in: No reservations; smart casual dress code. RMB 200 (£22) minimum spend per person
Bar Rouge
This is an altogether different version of Red China, one where baby-faced billionaires, F1 drivers and Hollywood superstars (Tom Cruise, Scarlett Johansson, Quentin Tarantino) pop champagne corks under a giant billowing 'five-star' red flag of China. Sprawling across the roof terrace of a Bund-front building, the location is sensational, as are the views peering down the historic 'hood and out across the Huangpu River towards space-age Pudong. It's a packed-every-night-of-the-week kind of place, so dress to impress if you want to get past the velvet rope.
Contact: 00 86 21 6339 1199; bar-rouge-shanghai.com
Nearest metro: East Nanjing Road
Opening times: Sun-Thur, 6pm-3am; Fri-Sat, 6pm-late
Price: ££
Getting in: Reservations aren't required, but it's worth calling ahead to put your name on the guest list
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Jing An
La Terrazza
Draped across the 48th floor rooftop of the Bulgari Hotel, opening up onto 180 degrees of shimmering future-shock Shanghai, the exquisitely designed La Terrazza is a contender for one of the best rooftop bars in town. Aside from the panorama, the space itself is elegant and exclusive-feeling, with billowing cabanas, flickering candlelight, pretty greenery and silk-smooth service. Even if you can't afford Bulgari's £500 a night room rate, do come and savour at least one drink here. I recommend a Pink Lady, an enigmatic mix of vodka, Sichuan pepper syrup, dragon fruit, egg white and lemon juice.
Contact: 00 86 21 3319 6188; bulgarihotels.com
Nearest metro: Yuyuan Garden
Opening times: Daily, 6pm-11pm
Price: £££
Getting in: Business/smart dress code
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Logan's Punch
An 'anti'-speakeasy, Logan's Punch is bolshy bar housed in the happening Taixing Lu complex just off Nanjing Road. The music is loud, the crowd lively and the woody interiors have the feel of backyard den, full of little cubby holes you can hide in with friends and slurp up giant bowls of punch. In summer, order the Punch Drunk Love, a breezy blend of gin, sliced orange, grapefruit and soda. In the cooler months, try the warming Hot Apple Punch, made with honey-bourbon, apple juice, cinnamon and cloves.
Address: 99 Taixing Road
Contact: 00 86 21 6248 5928
Nearest metro: Nanjing West Road
Price: ££
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 5pm-1am
Getting in: No reservations; no dress code
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Pudong
Flair Bar
Drinks at Flair Bar are not something you're going to forget in a hurry – the ray gun-shaped Pearl Tower feels close enough to reach out and grab, the Huangpu River ready to dip your toes into, The Bund a vision of majestic columns, domes and clock towers. Head here, to the 58th floor of the swanky Ritz-Carlton Pudong, in Shanghai's glitzy business district (on the other, modern side of the river), before sunset to see the city's astonishing waterfront architecture spark up in a blizzard of flashy, pulsing LED light.
Contact: 00 86 21 2020 1778; ritzcarlton.com
Nearest metro: Lujiazui
Opening times: Daily, 5.30pm-2am
Price: £££
Getting in: Smart casual dress code
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