Shanghai Romantic? I’ll tell you where to have one.

On a rare night out for drinks, my husband and I stopped by a new bar that opened in our neighborhood. Without realizing it, we’d stumbled into the little sister of the Constellation Bar Xinle Lu, a favorite among Japanese expats in Shanghai.

The new bar, Constellation No. 2 on Yongjia Lu near Maoming Lu, is much larger and much to my husband’s satisfaction, stocks over 300 types of single-malt whisky. Purported to be a “Tokyo-style” bar, it really looks more like someone’s fantasy of a Park Avenue cigar salon – in faux wood veneer and overstuffed leather. Bizarre surroundings aside, Constellation Bar on Yongjia has a long black marble bar that fronts all those whisky bottles, forcing you to want to sit there for a long evening over cocktails and peanuts. With four or five friendly barkeeps who all speak English rather well, it’s not a bad place to spend a while.

I opted for a Shanghai Romantic, one of their signature cocktails. Pink and served in a girlie martini glass, I was afraid of a terribly sweet concoction it looked to be. I was happily surprised. This gin, grenadine, triple sec and Bols Blue Curacao was actually only slightly sweet and very tasty.

Try Constellation No. 2 next time you’re in the mood for a good drink and a mellow evening.