Penicillin, the acclaimed Hong Kong cocktail bar ranked No. 24 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024, has officially opened its Shanghai outpost on Nanchang Road. Launched on May 8, the new venue continues the brand’s mission of combining inventive cocktails with a strong focus on sustainability and zero-waste practices.
Led by industry veterans Agung and Laura Prabowo, Penicillin Shanghai features a menu that is 50% carried over from its Hong Kong counterpart, while the other half is built around upcycled local ingredients sourced in Shanghai. Known for their “mad scientist” mixology, the team incorporates rotovap infusions, centrifuge distillations, and molecular gastronomy tools into their cocktail development.
Agung and Laura previously co-founded The Old Man, which debuted at No. 5 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2017. Agung brings his experimental, closed-loop production philosophy to Shanghai, while Laura oversees design and operations. They are joined by General Manager Jamie McCleave, formerly of Penicillin Hong Kong and London’s American Bar at the Savoy, and Bar Manager Chris Wu, whose experience across China’s top cocktail bars strengthens Penicillin’s presence in the local scene.
Penicillin Shanghai’s 168-square-meter space was designed by LC Studio and includes four distinct areas. A fallen tree trunk suspended at the entrance signals the venue’s commitment to sustainable design. The first-floor main bar features a temperature-controlled snowscape concept and a backdrop of recycled liquor bottles. Upstairs, guests can visit a lab-themed bartender’s table area, a fermentation chamber storing house-made drinks like kombucha and fruit wines, and a private Green Room.
The bar’s sustainability extends to its food offerings. The upcoming in-house kitchen will partner with the bar team to exchange repurposed ingredients. One example, the Koji Fried Chicken, uses koji made from discarded fermented grains.
Cocktail highlights include “One Pot Pan,” which combines waste hops flower rotovaped tequila with fermented wild rice water and strawberry hydrosol, and “The Original,” made with shell-distilled vodka, salted coconut water, and pre-batched in cheese wax-lined bottles. “One Penicillin, One Tree” repurposes avocado pits in place of ice and infuses scotch with leftover white chocolate.
The Shanghai-exclusive “The Great Paper Caper” features nori-infused yellow wine from Shaoxing, and “How Bad Are Bananas?” uses redistilled White Rabbit Candy rum and overripe bananas. The bar menu avoids naming spirit brands, focusing instead on ingredients and flavor profiles.
In total, the cocktail list includes 11 original creations, three seasonal specials, and two non-alcoholic drinks. According to Agung Prabowo, “Shanghai is a dynamic metropolis and the perfect testing ground for sustainable futures. We aim to connect humans with nature through every cocktail and space, inspiring deeper ecological consciousness.”
With its emphasis on innovation and environmental responsibility, Penicillin Shanghai positions itself at the forefront of China’s evolving cocktail culture.
Penicillin Shanghai
62 Nanchang Rd, Putung, Shanghai, China 200025
