The twelve characters
The crew of the menu. Open a name and you get their drinks.
The Marchfeld Distiller
Kartoff Vodka
He walks the potato fields of the Marchfeld plain outside Vienna and only signs off a batch when it tastes soft and clean. In real life Horvath's in Deutsch-Wagram blends Kartoff from potato spirit made by partner distillers, mainly from local Hermes potatoes.
- K01Marchfeld MartiniNick & Nora 150 ml · Lemon twist, expressed and discarded
- K02Tomato Water MartiniNick & Nora 150 ml · Single basil leaf floated
- K07Marchfeld MuleCopper mug 400 ml · Lime wheel and mint sprig
- K14Brown Butter Old FashionedRocks 300 ml · Orange peel
- K57Home Kartoff HighballHighball 350 ml · Lemon wedge
The Hongkou Konditor
Kartoff Hazelnut Vodka, Hazelnut Cream, Hazelnut Schnaps
She bakes nut tortes and strudel in a small Hongkou café, the way Viennese cooks did around Chusan Road in the 1940s. Hazelnut is her signature, in the vodka, the cream liqueur and the schnaps.
The Night Draughtsman
Kartoff Phantom (0.50 L)
He draws skyscrapers by lamplight and keeps one barrel-rested bottle on his drafting table. His world is the 1930s Shanghai skyline; his drink is Phantom, Kartoff vodka rested in red-wine barriques.
- K05Phantom ManhattanNick & Nora 150 ml · Cocktail cherry on a pick
- K06Phantom Old FashionedRocks 300 ml · Orange peel
- K20Phantom BoulevardierRocks 300 ml · Orange peel
- K21Midnight Plum SazeracRocks 300 ml (chilled, no ice) · Lemon peel expressed and discarded
- K24Burgenland SourRocks 300 ml · Red-wine liqueur float as a layer
- K50Bottled Phantom Manhattan (batch)Nick & Nora 150 ml · Cocktail cherry on a pick
The Lloyd Botanist
Kartoff Gin
She sailed east on an Austrian Lloyd steamer with a case of seeds and a notebook of juniper, citrus and spice. Every port added a botanical; Shanghai added tea.
The Operetta Star
Nubis — Watermelon, Strawberry Mint, Mango-Maracuja
She sings operetta in a Hongkou café theatre and her gown catches the light like a glass of Nubis. Refugee artists really did stage operettas and cabaret in 1940s Shanghai.
- K13Ruby CosmopolitanCoupe 180 ml · Flamed-free orange coin
- K36Mango Pomelo SourCoupe 180 ml · Few pomelo vesicles on top
- K41Nubis Watermelon SpritzWine glass 450 ml · Watermelon slice
- K42Strawberry Mint SpritzWine glass 450 ml · Mint sprig and half strawberry
- K43Mango-Maracuja SodaHighball 350 ml · Lime wheel
- K51Nubis Party Punch (batch)Punch cup 200 ml · Mint sprig
The Steerage Herbalist
Titanic Natural and Strong herb liqueurs
He carries a tin of dried herbs in his coat, as the brand's own legend says an emigrant from Galicia once did. The legend is the brand's story and is not verified; the bitter-sweet herbal liqueur in the glass is real.
The Huangpu Pilot
Kartoff Vodka and Gin in Shanghai serves
He meets every steamer at the river mouth and guides it up the Huangpu to the Bund. His drinks are the bright Kartoff serves made for Shanghai evenings.
- K28Osmanthus MartiniNick & Nora 150 ml · Pinch of dried osmanthus on the surface
- K30Huangpu NegroniRocks 300 ml · Orange peel
- K32Sesame Old FashionedRocks 300 ml · Orange peel
- K39Osmanthus Shanghai MuleCopper mug 400 ml · Lime wheel, pinch of osmanthus
- K40Bund Watermelon CoolerHighball 350 ml · Thin watermelon wedge
The Tea Pavilion Steward
Tea-led drinks, Red Wine Liqueur, Baked Apple Liqueur
He looked after the Chinese tea pavilion at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair and never stopped pairing tea with Austrian fruit. Jasmine, oolong, Longjing and lapsang are his tools.
- K18Strudel ToddyGlass mug 250 ml (heat-proof) · Cinnamon stick and apple slice
- K29Jasmine GimletCoupe 180 ml · Lime peel coin
- K31Oolong Pavilion FizzHighball 350 ml · Lemon peel
- K35Longjing CollinsHighball 350 ml · Lemon wheel and a few Longjing leaves
- K38Lapsang PavilionRocks 300 ml · Orange peel
- K45Heuriger Red SpritzerWine glass 450 ml · Lemon peel
- K49Baked Apple HighballHighball 350 ml · Thin apple fan, cinnamon dust
The Marillen Cook
Apricot Liqueur, Apricot Cream, Apricot Schnaps
She cooks Marillenknödel, apricot dumplings, as Hongkou's Weisses Rössl once did. Apricot liqueur, apricot cream and apricot schnaps are her pantry.
The Trans-Siberian Conductor
Eis Zapferl
He punched tickets on the long rail journey across Siberia, one of the routes refugees took to Shanghai. His lantern glows the same blue as Eis Zapferl.
The Coffeehouse Ober
Cream liqueurs — hazelnut, strawberry, apricot, raspberry vanilla, prune, limoncello
He serves Melange on a silver tray, the coffee that refugees said tasted like home in Hongkou. Cream liqueurs are his dessert trolley.
- K09Little Vienna White RussianRocks 300 ml · Grated nutmeg
- K15Melange Milk PunchRocks 300 ml · Single coffee bean and orange coin
- K22Coffeehouse AlexanderCoupe 180 ml · Grated nutmeg
- K25Lemon Cream FizzHighball 300 ml · Lemon zest grated on top
- K52Strawberry Cream AffogatoSmall coupe · Grated dark chocolate
- K55Raspberry Vanilla Iced LatteHighball 350 ml · Freeze-dried raspberry crumble
- K56Prune Cream MelangeGlass cup 250 ml (heat-proof) · Light cocoa dusting
The Port Catalogue Clerk
Fruit liqueurs and schnaps — raspberry, prune, pear, nut
He writes every fruit, spirit and spice into a ledger, like the port catalogues China sent to Vienna in 1873. Raspberry, prune, pear and nut fill his pages.