Healer — Restaurant in Shanghai

Awesome, delicious, inventive craft cocktails starring Baijiu and other traditional Chinese spirits. This is a must visit for mixologists and cocktail aficionados in Shanghai.

It’s surprisingly difficult to find craft cocktail bars in Shanghai that feature Chinese spirits. Healer is one of the (or perhaps the only?) exception. I had no meaningful experience with baijiu prior, but found the cocktails to be really tasty and well balanced. If you can handle drinks that veer on the spirit forward side of the spectrum (think manhattans etc) then none of the cocktails will be a challenge, and they will be delicious. Drinks are all listed in a bilingual menu with ABVs posted clearly, so if you do want lighter choices they exist (and are probably great).

This is an educational visit! So much to try that you likely haven’t tasted before. If you’re up for it there are spirit flights too (I’ll be back for that).

Pricing is good by international standards, probably high for Shanghai. I think this is great value for a truly novel cocktail experience.

The bar itself isn’t big, but I didn’t need reservations. I’m not sure if they do reservations.

Service is reasonable, they’ll chat in Chinese about the cocktails and spirits. You can totally just point off of the Rnglish menu though. Foreign credit cards accepted.

If you’re in...

My wife and I always look for unique cocktail bars whenever we travel. While visiting my wife's family in Shanghai we found this very unique cocktail bar using mainly Chinese spirits. Baijiu, Huangjiu and more! Each drink is expertly crafted with a unique presentation and incorporates elements of Chinese culture and history (in both English and Chinese). The owner Phoebe is extremely knowledgable about Chinese history and travels around China looking for local and interesting alcohols (Lamb Fat Washed Baijiu, Horse Milk Liquor from Inner Mongolia, and more). One of the best cocktail bars we've ever been...

This must be the only bar in the world with so many creative ways to mix all the different alcohols, including Chinese hard liquors and French wines. Every drink was given an exotic name and a fable-like story. The owner and bartender was a lovely young lady who traveled the world visiting bars. She created all the drinks on the menu and served every order with passion. The drink, the conversations, and the atmosphere were all so intoxicating. We stumbled upon the bar while walking in the neighborhood and were completely enchanted. Will definitely revisit it next time...