"Three Drinks" is a column series wherein we talk to Shanghai's finest, loveliest, and most interesting bartenders and mixologists about their cocktail creations. We're reverently asked to serve us up three drinks and the story behind them.

In Shanghai, Avenue Joffrey is the bartender's bar. A low-key, unassuming and jazzy little number in Surpass Court, Avenue Joffre opened up a million years ago in 2013 and has been the low-key hangout of off-work chefs and bartenders, looking to blow off steam in an under-the-radar establishment that specializes in relaxed quality, balance, and simplicity in the form of delicious, delicious boozes.

All seven days of the week – every single day – seriously, sometimes he sleeps there– your host is Harada Munenori, previously the head-shaker of el Coctel, a bygone yet quite influential cocktail bar in its own right in Shanghai back in the day. Mune-san, perennially decked out in his all-white dinner jacket, has a foundation in Japanese traditionalism when it comes to bartending and hospitality, which means he mixes a solemn dedication and discipline to perfecting even the smallest details of his craft. Every interaction between bartender and customer is conducted with due reverence, decorum and respect. And, finally, he's also spiritually obligated to get drunk with you should the situation require it.

Pro-tip: If you buy a bottle of champagne, he'll open it with a for-real sword. It's worth it.

We asked for three drinks and some chat

Cocktail # 1 – "Sakura Sakura" – 118 yuan

A Japanese libation through-and-through right here. Quality, balance, and simplicity. This one's named after probably the most famous melody to ever come out of Japan, the folk song "Sakura" or "cherry blossoms," which gives you an idea of the flavor profile. Super clean and bright. A flower blossoming. Fireworks from nature. Incidentally, the tune "Sakura" is also Piston Honda's walk-out music in the Nintendo game "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out," so you can casually mention that to your drinking partner when you order this and surprise them with your depth of knowledge about life.

Mune-san:

"Shanghai has its own bar culture, which I like, and you can't really compare it to anywhere else. It's quite relaxed and open. No pressure. In Japan, you've got to worry about how you are in other people's eyes, but here, not really. When I go out, I like to keep it simple – champagne and highballs.

There are quite a few "Japanese bars" in Shanghai, but even in this city, saying "Japanese bars" doesn't really say anything. It doesn't make sense. There are lots of different kinds of Japanese bars. It's like saying "English bar" or "Western bar"– what does that mean? It can be a pub, sports bar, cocktail lounge, anything.

I would describe Avenue Joffre as a Ginza bar, which is cocktails yes, but maybe a bit more relaxed. A Ginza bar is maybe more about the culture of drinks and having everyone together having a good time. It's not super high class and formal."

Cocktail # 2 – "Fresh Mango Cocktail" – 100 yuan

"Fresh Mango Cocktail" – it's exactly what it says on the tin. They're just going to call it exactly what it is. Super simple. And also ineffably delicious. Emphasis on the "ineffable" part. Mune's drinks belie a certain simplicity that makes you think you could make them yourself at your own home bar, but when you taste them, you're like, Ahhh man! How did they do that!?

It's both wonderful and slightly depressing.

Mune-san:

"We've got good sake, but people are here for the cocktails. Our most popular are our fresh cocktails. We use lots of fruit and seasonal ingredients.

We opened Avenue Joffre 11 years ago. Named after the old name of Huaihai Rd M. Coming from that 1920s, 1930s style, which I always liked. At the time there weren't very many cocktail bars, so I figured if I opened one myself, it would do okay. We still have a few regulars that have come over the years, but there is a lot of change in Shanghai. Even this small corner here in Shanghai has changed a lot. But we've been exactly the same.

Business is good these days. Maybe a bit fewer customers, but it seems like people are still spending, so I can't really complain. The area is changing, maybe to attract more people. There's a big club that just opened next door."

Cocktail # 3 – "JFK" – 108 yuan

This one's on the "Mune Specials" page of the menu, but it actually comes from Mune's cocktail teacher, Yuichi Hochi, a bar owner and the Tanqueray Ambassador in Ginza. An award-winning cocktail in 2006, he named it after John F. Kennedy because he seemed like a really cool guy. It's like an orange martini and is as dry and rich as anyone in the Rat Pack.

Mune-san:

"The specials come from my own tastes and my teacher's influences. He was working for his own bar in Ginza, and they specialized in very refined techniques. I was working with him for three years. That was my real training. I had the basics from other jobs. But he taught me in a very traditional Japanese way, which is learning the importance of every small thing – why we hold the bottle this way, why we shake this way – and working from just basic skills to everything else. Details and hospitality. But yeah, the hours were 3 pm to 3 am every day – it wasn't easy.

My favorite cocktail to make is probably a Martini. I like cocktails that you have to have a bit of style to make – Martinis, Manhattans, Vesper… you can bring your own style to those. I'm big on stirring my martinis, rather than shaking them.

What makes a good bartender? Knowledge is important, yes, but hospitality is more so. A good bartender is someone who is always thinking about the customer. Someone who can anticipate where people are in their evening. It's a mutual respect relationship, I think. We show respect to the customers, and they show us respect back.