This Bar Checks Your Pulse Before Serving Your Drink

SPECIAL STORY : Imagine walking into a bar, sitting down for a drink, and being told you cannot choose what to order because your own pulse will decide what goes into your glass. Walk into this bar expecting to order your favourite cocktail, and you might be in for a surprise because before a single drink reaches your glass, someone checks your pulse. A bizarre yet fascinating bar concept in Shanghai, China, is grabbing attention for turning the traditional drinking experience completely upside down.

Here, customers reportedly do not simply choose a cocktail from a menu based on taste, mood or preference; instead, their pulse is checked first, after which a mixologist prepares a personalised drink using selected herbal ingredients.

The idea is that different customers may receive different beverages depending on what their pulse reading indicates, creating an experience where the body supposedly has a say in what goes into the glass. Unlike an ordinary bar where customers might ask for a mojito, martini or another favourite cocktail, this unusual concept brings together nightlife, cocktails and elements inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

The trend has been associated with China’s growing “punk wellness” culture a phenomenon in which people who lead hectic modern lifestyles try to balance late nights, demanding work schedules, stress, fast food and other unhealthy habits with traditional or wellness-focused practices.

At such establishments, herbal ingredients are incorporated into modern drinks, giving customers a chance to experience traditional concepts in a contemporary nightlife setting. TCM practitioners have also pointed out that the use of alcohol in certain traditional medicinal preparations has a long history, including what is sometimes described as medicinal wine. But the unusual concept has also sparked curiosity because a pulse reading is not a medically established way to determine what alcoholic drink a person should consume, and a cocktail prepared after such a reading should not be mistaken for medical diagnosis, treatment or personalised healthcare.

Still, the idea is undeniably eye-catching: in this Shanghai bar, the question is no longer simply “ What would you like to drink ? ” it is reportedly “What does your pulse say you should drink ?” From traditional herbal practices to modern cocktails, this unusual fusion is giving the world of nightlife a truly unexpected twist and leaving many people wondering whether they would trust their pulse to choose their next drink.