Life on Mars
A globe trotting cocktail bar with an East-meets-West menu.
Life on Mars was born in 2018 in Shenzhen, if you’ve not heard of
it before, most haven’t. It’s next to Hong Kong and is the “Silicon
Valley of China”.
Why Life on Mars? Two reasons, me and my father, who had
passed away years before, both shared a love for the musician
David Bowie. And because as a Brit with terrible Mandarin skills in
China, it was a bit like living on a different planet.
The bar has always had two aims, the first is to craft tasty
cocktails using an east-meets-west blend of ingredients, the
second is to be a welcoming “third space” that anyone can feel at
home in. A good bar should not be just about the drinks, but be a
social hub and a community where you can bring friends, meet
new ones, perhaps fall in love (if only for a night) and generally
not worry about anything going on outside its four walls. Kind of
like an iconic village pub, but without that one weird guy who’s
always at the end of the bar and will talk your ear off.
Life on Mars lasted 6 years, making it through the 3 years that
now feel like a fever dream we called Covid. It won awards,
hosted visiting bartenders from around the world, built an
amazing community, but most of all was held up and held
together by the people that frequented it.
Now I’ve returned to my first hometown, bringing LoM with me.
I hope you enjoy it!
Cheers!
“We're a neighbourhood bar welcoming to everyone where you can relax, not worry about the outside world and make new friends. I wanted to create a bar where anyone would feel welcome, like you're in a friends living room, albeit one with great style and an alcohol problem.”