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 After the 237th time watching The Big Lebowski, I decided to try my hand at a White Russian because, you know, the dude abides. Unfortunately, I went a little heavy on the vodka and light on the cream—a strategic decision in my grand scheme of inebriation, but one that made this milky cult classic a little unpalatable. Well before you could say Karl Hungus, I was out the door and off to mixology class. Maybe next time, my White Russian won’t die face down in the muck. 

Located on the seventh floor of a Jing’An business complex, Urban Bar resembles more a VIP lounge than an astute place of learning. From the back of the room, Sebastien Bennefoi came out of his mixing laboratory wiping his hands on his apron and smiling broadly. The stocky 6-foot Frenchman is the mastermind behind Bar Rouge and he is renown by Shanghai restaurateurs and fine bartenders the world over. He treats his drink creations with the dedication of a micro-gastronome and the creativity of a sculptor—and he seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to cocktails.

Four glistening shots of mango cocktail greet us at the bar. This drink is summer incarnate—its thick fruity freshness flows down my throat like a thousand rays of sunshine. We are given a moment to loosen up before donning our aprons and stepping into a back room. Sebastien assigns to us our stations and explains to us the equipment in front of us. We are standing on either side of a double-backed bar with eight stations for aspiring bartenders. Sebastien stands at the end of the bar, delivering banter and instructions. I look over the pre-cut fruit, the EZ pour liquor, the Boston shakers – all the necessary supplies at our fingertips, so we too can begin mixing like the pros.

The first drink combines fresh Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, mint, and Jameson whiskey. The peppercorns are typically used as a mouth-numbing agent in local cuisine, so I was a bit worried they might leave me senseless to the subtleties of the drink. But the spice was not at all overpowering; in fact, it melded with the other spices to create a flavour not unlike wintry pine. This drink had a bite to it, while remaining cool and fresh down the hatch.

For our second drink, we mixed lemongrass syrup and apple juice along with a shot of Beefeater gin. Adorned with a blade of lemongrass, this martini was more subtle and sweet than the last albeit just as refreshing. Though the martini was dry, the lemongrass added the perfect amount of sweetness.

The last drink was the sweet, seductive Porno Star. The Porno Star calls for three different kinds of fruit purée and half a shot each of Wyborowa Wodka and Absolut Vanilla Vodka. In light of the drink’s sinful nature, we were also added another splash in honor of our girlfriends. We took the drinks out to the lounge and enjoyed it as a chaser to another hedonistic shot of straight vodka. The inescapable fruitiness of the drink brought to mind over-applied eye makeup and silicone breasts—really the perfect conclusion to a night of hard work and hard liquor. Gleefully walking out the door, I was drunk on top-of-the-line drinks and behind-the-bar prowess.

Private or group lessons at Urban Bar will run you RMB 250 per person. Sessions are two hours long and available from 7 to 9:30 pm, Thursday through Saturday. You get four or five good cocktails out of it and a nifty certificate upon completion. Sebastien lets you mix up the menu however you’d like and virgin drink options are totally in line. It’s a great way to start an evening after work. The biggest downside is these will be the best drinks you have all night.

For reservations and information, call 6266 7969 or visit http://www.cocktailarchitect.com/.

Leo Gallery has just installed a selection of wild sculptures called "Art in Space" in Shanghai Times Square, the cavernous luxury brands mall on Huaihai Lu.

According to the press materials, Kum Chi Keung’s “Big Boy” (above) is “a vigorous, optimistic and active kid, not an astronaut. He is natural green and loves sunshine and clear water.” But that’s just a description of spearmint flavoured Haibao.

This guy is really lime green space radiation, his existence just a collection of cages, like anyone’s existence. “Big Boy” is assembled from wickerwork boxes of different sizes. Check out the really small boxes in the bends of the knees – the bars are as close as sinews.

"Big Boy" must be three metres tall, but he is totally dwarfed by another of Kum Chi Keung’s works, “Space for Lease” (right). From its launching pad on the second floor, the wicker work space rocket reaches all the way to the sixth floor.

It’s a feat of engineering that testifies to the strength of traditional art forms even as it celebrates the opportunities of modern advancements.

What look like birds from below are actually 40-50 small “Big Boys” romping around inside the rocket. They have green, Lego-ish bodies and basket heads.

The guy in the picture below, looking up at the rocket in awe, is “Meeting Dong Yuan Again” by Shanghai artist Zhang Ning. Dong Yuan was a landscape painter (hence his little mound of earth) way back in the tenth century, but Zhang Ning's homage to him establishes a clear connection. Sure, the angles from which we observe the urban landscape are different but the act of looking remains the same.

These works are all situated in the second floor lobby, but you can also find Qu Guangci’s pop coloured Mao cherubs on the first floor, and Xu Hongfei’s jubilant, jumbo-sized women in the piazza in front of Times Square.

In other Leo news, later this summer the gallery is opening an additional, two storey, 85 sqm gallery space in Ferguson lane, right opposite Franck. They’ll be throwing a cocktail party for the launch from 5-7pm, Saturday July 24. The new space will open with a group show of portraiture called “Faces”. 

Art in Space @ Shanghai Times Square. Until July 19, Shanghai Times Square, 99 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Liu Lin Lu.

Leo Gallery. Ferguson Lane, 376 Wukang Lu, near Tai'an Lu. Tel: 5465 8785.

Tuesday nights, Xingfu Lu’s Dada Bar converts from a hip dive bar into a makeshift movie theater – its red pleather couches, typically arranged around black coffee tables, attentively face the back wall of the room that doubles as the movie screen. Order a beer and a bucket of popcorn will also be thrust into your hands. Don’t be afraid to come alone as many other patrons choose to attend individually. 

On offer last Tuesday was David Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch”. The film is loosely based around the book Naked Lunch and the life of its author, William S. Burroughs. The rather bizarre plot follows an exterminator who becomes addicted to his bug poison, begins to violently hallucinate and then kills his wife in a botched William Tell gag. He flees to the fictional city of Interzone where he begins taking orders from his typewriter, which is also a giant bug. Believe it or not, the movie is much easier to follow than the book – though that’s not saying much. 

Prior to the start of the film, a short introduction is given by one of the organizers. The atmosphere served the screening of a movie very well, with movie-goers respectfully keeping silent throughout the viewing. Sub-Cinema at Dada Bar is a rare chance in Shanghai to participate in some film geekiness, all the while enjoying a beer or two and free popcorn. The night is on-going every Tuesday night at 9pm. Admission is free. 

As summer heats up, Jameson's cooling things down with their rooftop cinema. See some truly classic flicks atop M1NT's inimitable terrace, including Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Casablanca, Legends of the Fall and Kung Fu Hustle. For your chance to win a pair of tickets to the movies, be one of the first ten people to email [email protected] with the words 'Jameson Rooftop Cinema' in the subject line.

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