Second Sip: Yucca

We’re not going to lie, we didn’t much like Yucca the first time around. In our initial review we may have even called the lucha libre inspired décor “an eye-catching mismatch”, while drinks were most notably “not quite Montezuma’s revenge”. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who felt that way – Laris & Co brought on former Alchemist bartender and fan favourite Ryan Noreiks to redo the interior and its cocktail list.

Although instructed to keep the floor, colours and lighting intact, Noreiks excelled within his limited confines. Gone are the neon bar stools and pillows plastered with seductive women – a touch of class manages to radiate up from the black and white tile. The upstairs lounge is a bit more welcoming now with cigar-friendly seating and less of a focus on Champagne, but it’s the cocktail menu that has seen the most change for the better.

The drink list integrates itself into the three-floor David Laris-branded villa by offering cocktails designed for before, during or after a meal. The Pistolero (RMB 78), a dry ‘before’ drink designed to get your juices flowing, is a bitter take on the time-tested T&T – a splash of celery bitters and Martini Blanco gives it all the lift it needs. ‘During’ cocktails also tend toward the dry side, but a splash of juice gives them a more refreshing spin, as in the Lady Grey (RMB 88), a tea-infused vodka with fresh grapefruit and a strong anise-flavoured backdrop.

The ‘After’ section appeals the most to our palate – the digestifs are full of decadent flavours and dark spirits designed to make your stomach happy. The JT Manhattan (RMB 78) adds absinthe, Creole bitters and a quick twist and wave of an orange peel over the cocktail before serving. But the orange peel dance is about it for Noreiks’ flair at Yucca. He left most of the fancy molecular tricks at Alchemist, along with the dry ice and its residual fogs. The focus is on the flavours here, and we’re happy to report that Yucca seems to have finally gotten it right.

Sinan Mansions, 3F, Unit 26 A, 519 Fuxing Zhong Lu, near Chongqing Nan Lu. Tel: 3368 9525. Web: www.yuccashanghai.com