Shake It Up With: Best Bartender Nominee Sasha Lou of Salud

Shake It Up profiles the eight Beijing mixologists that are up for the title of Beijing's Best Bartender in the Beijinger's 2015 Reader Bar and Club Awards (vote here through May 17). Today we talk with Sasha Lou, manager and bartender of Salud, which celebrates its 10th anniversary May 16.

Tell us about the drink you’re preparing for us today.
It’s called Secret Fragrance. It has Havana rum, lime juice and some Crème de cassis, a sweet French liqueur has a really distinct scent.

What led you to become the bartender at Salud?
I used to work at Club 99 in Jianwai Soho, but it is closed now. I was a swing dancer and I saw how much the bartender, Tony Zhao [now at Tony's Workshop], loved his job. I remembered being a little girl and seeing bartenders in movies, and dreaming of owning a lounge of my own someday. So I studied with Tony, working there for a year without a salary as I learned how to mix drinks. I was really dedicated, and he was a really amazing teacher. The customers loved my cocktails, but I wanted to have my own place. I always loved coming to Nanluoguxiang, so I applied for work at Salud, and have been the manager for the past two years. It’s been great – in 2013 all the other bartenders in Nanluoguxiang voted me number one for the first annual 'Nanluo Cup'. All the bartenders here think we’re the best.

What do you love most about working at, and partying in, Nanluoguxiang?
I really love traditional places. Even though I know that it’s not really that old here, that it’s been fixed up a lot, I still love that it looks old.

What are some of your other favorite bars around town?
Modernista! I just love their themed parties. And I also like going to Temple, it has really good music, it’s a great place to dance. I miss Clement [Berger, one of the founders of Temple], it’s too bad that he went home.

After immersing yourself in the hutong bar scene, have you learned any tricks to beat hangovers?
Yeah, you’ll get a lot of hangovers being a bar manager [laughs]. Usually I’ll drink milk with some honey, it really helps settle my stomach.

What’s next for Salud?
Well, we have a second Salud bar in Shanghai. It would be nice to open a third or even a fourth one in another part of China.

Where?
It’s hard to say. Maybe in Nanjing. It’s in my home province, Jiangsu, and not far from my hometown, Xuzhou.

What brought you from Xuzhou to Beijing?
Beijing is a good place for study, and for growing up. But Xuzhou is a smaller town, not so busy, and good for living. Maybe I’ll go back one day, and open another Salud [laughs].

Want another round? Follow the Shake It Up series here ... and don't forget to honor your favorite Beijing watering hole before May 17 here.

Photo: Kyle Mullin