The Hype-Worthy Mansion Bar With Different Cocktails On Every Floor
While your local dive bar might be satisfactory for most casual nights out, sometimes you may desire something a little more elevated. If you ever find yourself in Bolívar, Colombia, the Alquímico bar might fulfill the experience you had in mind.
Alquímico was ranked No. 10 by The World's 50 Best Bars and the best overall in South America. The bar's defining characteristic is that each of its three floors has a different vibe and serves different drinks on its menus. What makes it so great is that many drinks take on organic flavor notes from its featured herbs and fruits. These ingredients are often grown by the bar's owner, Jean Trinh, on his farm in Finalandia.
The bar operates in a restored mansion, and the Alquímico website states that it aims to "promote local culture" through its experimental drinks, Colombian-inspired dishes, and use of local, organic ingredients.
Each floor serves different drinks
According to the bar's website, the first floor is referred to as La Mansión. Here, customers will find a menu full of house-made cocktails with more unique flavors. Some drinks contain green tea, corn, and cheese — far from your usual beverages at your local bar. The Mantilla combines passion fruit-infused white rum, black tea, hibiscus flower syrup, and lime juice, while the Chagra mixes Ketel One vodka, Aperol, pineapple extract, and a corn infusion.
The second floor — El Balcón — is where you'll find more classic drinks: Mojitos, martinis, and a gin & tonic. Of course, a unique twist will still be added to each of the drinks, as noted on El Balcón's menu. The Clear Espresso Martini features re-distilled Ketel One vodka, espresso, cocoa, and cardamom. The Tropical & Tonic adds a fun, refreshing flair to a classic drink, adding a citrus fruit infusion to Beefeater London Dry gin, Pelletier tonic, and soda water.
But the fun doesn't stop there — the party continues outside, on the rooftop bar.
Finish off the evening on the rooftop bar
The third and final floor, Terraza, is where guests can go to end their night out with fresh air. The rooftop tiki bar serves fruity, tropical-flavored cocktails while music plays over the speakers. The Cocora combines Johnnie Walker Black Label whiskey, tonic water, cucumber extract, and pickled melon. If you like your drinks a little more on the floral side, try the Nectar: Altos Plata Tequila, flower mead, and rosewater with a lavender scent.
The dinner menus remain the same on each floor and focus on a plant-based approach, offering several vegan-friendly options. On all three floors, diners can munch on Queso Costeno Frito: salty cheese imported from the Caribbean coast, with sweet pepper, pineapple jam, baba ganoush, and garnished with sprouts. The vegan-friendly Tacos de Barbacoa de Cascara de Platano feature banana peel in red sauce, coriander, avocado, chopped red onion, and macha peanut sauce inside corn tortillas.
Though it may require traveling to get to this bar, the unique experience will certainly never be forgotten. Alquímico is located in Cartagena, Bolivar, Colombia, and is open daily from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. (3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights), according to the Facebook page.