Shanghai is about ready to take on another Western import – this one for the third time. The Shanghai Daily recently reported that Shanghai (again) would be the home of “Asia’s first Ice Bar.�? The new incarnation will be backed by Absolut giving it the name, The Absolut Icebar. Previous attempts at Asia’s first subfreezing bars included Taste of Scandinavia and Binjiang One.
Regardless of its former incarnations, this bar will have many of the same basics: think jackets, 45 minute visit limit and freezing temperature. The new twist? The ice is obviously not coming from the sweltering areas around Shanghai – the 40 tons of ice are being imported from Torne River in Sweden.
The Shanghai Daily report the new bard will open on Huai Hai Lu in late June – just in time for a reprieve from the Shanghai summer heat.