42 Below Cocktail World Cup Shanghai Final @ Bar Rouge

Tuesday saw a new champion being crowned at the Shanghai Regional Finals of the 42 Below Cocktail World Cup at Bar Rouge. Although we were expecting to see a lot more fancy shmancy juggling and tossing, there was a wide variation in the style of cocktails, and plenty of showy tricks -- liquid nitrogen, torches, fancy garnishes and what have you. Cross from Vault Bar & Lounge, who used to be a chef, showed how the kitchen and the bar are coming much closer together, by completely reinventing the '90s nightmare with his 42 Rosemary Chocolate Martini which was topped with a Sichuan pepper foam. Alex of Volar, the second runner up will join Cross and Johnson Ren from Aria at the China World Hotel (the winner from the Beijing leg) in representing Team China in Queenstown, New Zealand for the grand final shakeoff. We didn't get to sample any of the winning creations (nobody knows we're a cocktail connoisseur), but before Cross heads down under, we might make our way to Vault and get him to make us his rosemary choctini (mmmm... death by chocolate). Once again, we hate to come across as taking yet another tired jibe at Bar Rouge, but service kinda left a lot to be desired (and we know we aren't the only ones complaining) on an otherwise splendid evening in a fabulous location. [Photos by Don Yap]