Searching for the perfect mix

Bartender Wu Feng prepares tasty cocktails in the competition. Photo provided to China Daily

Bartender Chen Shibei, 26, says the culture only began developing in Shanghai a few years ago but has progressed very fast. Many bars specializing in cocktails are opening, and some bartenders are adopting the popular technology and skills used abroad to make cocktails.

Chen, who is from Taiwan, moved to Shanghai around a year ago. Taiwan has a much longer history with cocktail culture and well-known bars, but Shanghai is changing rapidly, she says.

Bartender Xie Jun, 33, said in the early years, he had to improve his English and use English websites to find information about cocktails because Chinese sites didn't have much information on the subject. But that's changing because of the growth in the domestic cocktail culture.

"Bartenders are having more opportunities to join competitions and trainings, and receiving more job offers. Bartenders should be more modest and spend more time brushing up their skills," says Xie, who finished in the top three at the Global Finals of Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition in 2014.

"Foreign bartenders focus more on communication with guests, while Chinese bartenders attach much importance to cocktails such as flavors and skills. Foreign bartenders are more talkative and easily make friends with strangers."

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