Most people in Shanghai know the name J.Boroski, the mysterious, menuless, insect-covered cocktail bar that’s hidden behind a nondescript gray door on Fumin Lu.
Some people know that the 'J' stands for Joseph, as in Joseph Boroski, the man who first launched his namesake establishment in Bangkok, before branching out to Hong Kong and Shanghai.
But very few people have actually met Joseph Boroski himself.
The mind and mixology behind this cave-like creation is now bringing a new height to his passion with 'performance mixology,' an up-close, multi-sensory exploration of the craft of cocktail-making.
We had the opportunity to sit down with him for a chat.
On the bugs...
There will be some people that say "I’m not gonna go there."
At J.Boroski Hong Kong one day this big body builder came in, an American guy. He sat down and we were talking and he said, "I’m glad these aren’t real bugs, cause I don’t’ like bugs."
And I said "Actually…" and he was like "F***!" and jumped up!
He stayed. He didn’t stay at the bar, but he stayed…
On the obsession starting early...
As a boy, I was fascinated with insects, and had a growing collection of caterpillars that was huge and coming down from the ceiling
My mom wasn’t happy in the beginning, "That’s disgusting Joseph, get those off your ceiling." And she would try to clear all the bugs out of my room.
But after a while she basically stayed out of my room. I got lucky with that. She was great.
On coming to Asia...
I came to Asia in 2007 with some of the top chefs in the US at the time. They would make these elaborate, gourmet meals at five-star hotels, and for the first time they brought a cocktail guy with them. And that guy was me!
In fact, I had a business card as 'The Cocktail Guy.'
On the 'mixsulting' lifestyle...
I’ve done cocktails in four dozen countries. I used to go from one menu and training staff and setting up a bar to another.
One year I was on the road 350 days or something, non-stop. I had this recurring dream I would get somewhere and be like, I don’t know what to do. I’d wake up tossing and turning: "My menu! My menu!"
Eventually, I partnered with Ash Sutton to open J.Boroski in Bangkok.
On opening a menuless J.Boroski...
We hadn’t planned to go menuless; it started with friends coming in before we opened and just kind of making drinks for people with what we had.
On weird ingredients...
There is a fruit in Thailand that is orange and spiky, and you open it up and it looks like an animal slaughter.
It’s called gac fruit, and it tastes like a slimy mess. I remember bringing one in and saying "Here’s an ingredient!"
I try to create cocktails that you will not find anywhere else. And that’s what I really try to get the staff to do.
Let’s look at ingredient, let’s really dive into this one ingredient. How do we get different flavors from it?
On challenging expectations...
I love using anything that is not standard, figuring out ways to put something in a drink.
If someone tells me they don’t like something, that’s always a nice challenge.
A lot of people say "Oh, I can’t stand tequila." Why don’t you like it? "The taste of it makes me queasy," and there’s an association from when they threw up when they were young.
They didn’t’ get the opportunity to properly experience it.
On the Shanghai opening...
I was here in late 2019, just before we opened, and then I took a winter holiday – with a ticket booked back to Shanghai for right after Chinese New Year 2020.
Then COVID hit and China canceled everybody coming in. I didn't see the bar in person again for four years. Luckily, Mark Lloyd was here.
On success...
I’m in an industry that has like a 10% success rate, and my success rate is like 90%, so I’m very fortunate.
Yet everything new I try there is a mountain of doubt on top of it, like anybody else.
On Asia’s 50 Best...
That’s cool, but there is beyond that list; my favorite bars never touch the list.
Like how Shanghai had some amazing cocktail bars before Bangkok had any… except my spot.
On Shanghai vs Bangkok...
There’s definitely a difference between the cocktail culture in Shanghai compared to Bangkok. Bangkok is now one of the better cocktail cities.
When Shanghai was thriving there was just... this energy. It doesn’t feel like that now. It’s a different city.
There are still great bars, but a lot of places are having a hard time, when a few years ago they probably wouldn’t have. I’m rooting for these places to push through.
The people here are also a little more unforgiving. In Thai they say sabai sabai, which is like 'whatever,' so people are culturally just chill.
In Shanghai, when it comes to food and drink, there is a lot of good stuff here so people have high expectations... as they should.
On what makes a good mixologist...
I’ve been training with bartenders for a very long time, and am always looking to find someone with the right drive and ambition.
I’ve gotten people from a coffee shops, baristas who know how to talk to guests and how to use their hands and how liquid pours out of glass and metals.
A lot of bartenders, they’ve been doing it a long time, but they still don’t understand how water will stick to the inside of a glass.
I’ve also found bartenders at crazy clubs who make the worst drinks. There was this particular guy who was gregarious and outgoing and a lot of qualities that are great for a bartender – he just needed to know how to make drinks.
Because you can have bartenders that work at great bars, and they don’t exude a sense of pride. People feel that.
On a preference for barwomen...
I don’t know if I should, but I think I prefer women. I also I think I work better with women.
I always have, even as a kid; in high school, I used to sit with a bunch of girls.
I find men to be too emotional. I think guys often bring emotion to the table, and I think maybe with the stereotype of women, they’re more conscious of that.
On diversity...
I have a mission statement of the bar, and part of that is to encourage diversity.
Hiring local in China is more common than Bangkok, and it seems to work, especially with the customer base being mostly Chinese.
On ego...
I think one of the biggest things is dealing with egos. This industry of all industries is dealing with egos and people saying "You need me for your drink" – that goes to people’s heads after a while.
My biggest thing is looking at people and seeing how is their ego, and what signs are there that this is going to be a problem. Ego gets in the way and impedes the ability to provide great service.
If someone comes to me at the bar and says they want a drink a certain way, I could say "No, you don’t want that, that’s not good; it's not the way it's meant to be."
And a lot of bartenders do that.
But my take is that if you like a thing a certain way, my job is to provide it. If it’s not the way I think you should treat a specific spirit or whatever... well, I’m not the god of that ingredient.
I do what I can to accommodate your preferences and desires.
On performance mixology...
In Shanghai, the smallest room of the J.Boroski bar is known as THE CHAMBER, which is like a small living room bar to the side of the main segment, hosting guest shifts, group bookings and random tastings.
THE CHAMBER was always meant to be this really special kind of super VIP room where people would get things that they could not get at a normal bar.
It is where we have all of our equipment to experience a kind of behind the scenes production.
When I was bartending 18 hours a day in NYC, I had this recurring dream of giving people this 'performance mixology' experience never before encountered in a traditional bar settings, with cocktail centric food to keep people happy.
It will be the craft of cocktail-making presented through a curated, multi-sensory experience, bringing guests closer to the artistry behind the glass.
Drawing inspiration from the rich tapestry of Asian folklore, the focus will be on storytelling, narrative, and perception, with guests seated among the action, allowing for an up-close exploration of technique.
I’m still not 100% sure how it is going to work. I’m testing over and over and over… I've been building this forever.
Come. Sit. Enjoy. Experience.
J.Boroski Performance Mixology Launch
J.Boroski Shanghai launches its new performance mixology experience this weekend with two exclusive evenings hosted by J.Boroski founder and acclaimed cocktail consultant, Joseph Boroski.
The intimate experience includes a curated sequence of three crafted cocktails, three paired snacks, a welcome drink, and a welcome bite, all seamlessly integrated into the unfolding narrative.
Fri & Sat Feb 21 & 22, 8.30pm & 11pm; RMB1,088 per guest
Following the launch, Joseph Boroski will transfer one of his longest standing employees from Bangkok to take over from his opening weekend.
Performances will continue with scheduled reservations:
Tue, Wed, Thu, 8.30pm & 11pm; RMB588 per guest
Fri & Sat, 7.30pm, 10pm & 12.30am; RMB688 per guest
Reservations can be made via WeChat: @jboroski
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
[All images courtesy of J.Boroski]
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