TaKo in Shanghai serves bold craft cocktails at RMB79 each, from banana bourbon to spicy martinis. Celebrate their 2nd anniversary on Sep 5 with an RMB100 entry (includes one drink) and LA-themed party. No weekend surcharge.
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By Ned Kelly
A 15-year veteran of the scene, and formerly of Inferno, Hepcat, and Roxie, TaKo is a phoenix from the flames of the latter, which vanished somewhere over the rainbow in 2024, after a nine-year run.
Coming up on its second anniversary, TaKo has found its identity as a place "run by women," but where everyone is welcome.
The name stands for tattoos 'Ta' and cocktails 'Ko' (hey, if potassium can be K, then why not?), and the concept blends two long-held Ting Ting ambitions: to evolve Roxie into a more mature space, and to incorporate a tattoo parlor.
The philosophy that connects tattoos and cocktails? Forms of self-expression.
With drinks designed around powerful, distinct characters, Ting Ting presents an experience that is experimental, edgy, dark, high-quality, and "comes with a punch."
As such, we offered ourselves up as human punch bags...
All cocktails are priced at RMB79. Let's start with experimental and the Pure Rice, inspired by the nostalgic smell of rice cooking at home, and made with sake, a bit of taro, and a jasmine vodka base.
Served in an ornate silver cup, and topped with a sesame-style cracker made of rice, the taro imbues the drink with popcorn overtones.
“People love it or hate it,” Ting Ting tells us. We fall firmly in the former camp.
The artistry of the Old Fashioned on Bananas starts in the kitchen, with the bananas grilled in butter.
They are then slow-cooked in a 1/3 grilled banana, 1/3 butter, and 1/3 bourbon mixture, before being frozen and filtered to create a silky, oil-free buttery banana bourbon.
Finished with a bit of dark chocolate and fennel, the banana and chocolate come through strong.
As does the booze!
An extreme version of a dirty martini made "as filthy as possible," the Filthy Martini uses jalapeño juice with just a hint of olive brine, along with honey.
The result is slightly savory, sour, sweet, and spicy all at once, with the honey providing an after-sweetener.
"One of our talents is that we understand the west and east. And we understand people,” declares Ting Ting, of her crisp, not-too-sweet highball.
The Apple Yuzu Highball uses fresh apple and fresh thyme infused into scotch, then combined with a homemade soda that is oxidized using a large gas tank to achieve proper crispness.
It is topped with a yuzu foam made using nitrous oxide.
The Pisco Sour is made with homemade fig jam, elderflower milk, and pisco. The entire mixture is then filtered to become completely see-through.
A subtle sipper.
Described by Ting Ting as "winter during summer," the Gin Blossom—featuring pear, osmanthus, and grapefruit—is super cold and super refreshing, icy but fruity.
Floral, citrusy, with a hint of sherbet, it is a best seller, as it is, Ting Ting says, "what girls like to drink."
Finally (for this session—there are plenty more cocktails to try), the Coffee Negroni, Ting Ting's take on a perfect coffee-cocktail balance.
The classic Negroni recipe is modified by swapping the sweet vermouth for dry red wine to reduce sweetness, then adding the bar's own homemade coffee liqueur (Ting Ting recently opened a new coffee shop, called VELA, located at 360 Julu Lu).
From nostalgic rice-inspired sips to buttery banana bourbon, fiery filthy martinis, and crystal-clear pisco, TaKo's cocktail menu is as diverse as it is daring.
With each drink built around a bold character and priced at a uniform RMB79, Ting Ting has crafted a lineup that rewards the adventurous—and left us wanting to come back to try the rest.
Whether you're here for the ink, the spirits, or just the vibe, TaKo makes one thing clear: this is a space where self-expression is always on the menu.
Daily, 7pm-2am
TaKo, 2/F 359 Kangding Lu, by Shanxi Lu (entrance on Shanxi Lu) 康定路359号2楼, 近陕西北路 (门口在陕西北路)
TaKo's 2nd Anniversary
The R Word
Eleven years of flame, two years of TaKo—this Saturday, celebrate TaKo’s second anniversary with The R Word.
In 11 years in this city, they've spun a web of relationships, friendships, situationships, affairs, stolen glances across the room, shots at the bar, dances on sticky floors, bodies up the pole, and lonely cocktails after break-ups.
Through it all, under the same red light, they've been here to comfort her, connect her, and party with her.
This Saturday, bring the LA vibes: DJ on deck, she on the pole, and everyone in character.
Whether you’re Shane the heartbreaker, Bette the complicated one, Alice the best friend, Kit the ride-or-die sister, neighbor Jenny, or even Tim, you know who you are.
TaKo embrace every storyline on the dance floor, so come dressed, come messy, come ready to be thrown onto the infamous CHART, and raise a glass to two years of TaKo and 11 years of beautiful chaos.
BONUS: Drink to vote! The most Shane lookalike wins a prize!
Sat Sep 5, 8pm-Late; RMB100, includes one drink
[Images and video by That's/Jorge Castellanos]
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