If you are in Shanghai for work or play, you cannot miss the hottest bar in town, with its unique cocktails of East-meet-West. Sakesan is touted as the "ultra-hip Robatayaki bar" and what it means is that you get a cocktail menu that uses sake and shochu as base spirits, and lots of Japanese ingredients like wasabi, yuzu, pickled ginger and plum added to make some potent mixes. The adventurous can try the Wasabitini made with sake, freshly grated wasabi, nori and sweet pineapple, The Rock Star Martini is served on a wooden tray, and you work through fresh passion fruit juice, a vanilla and passion fruit infused sake martini and a shot of homemade shiso sake. Enough to make you see bright stage lights.

1/F, Taikang Terrace, 171 Jianguo Lu, Shanghai, 021-6553-9333.

- Pauline D. Loh