it may look
like your average East London
dive bar, but
Qui Qui Ri Qui
(‘
cock-a-
doodle-do’ in Spanish;
quiquiriqui.co.uk
)
hides a wicked secret. The newly opened
establishment, which you enter round the
back of a Hoxton kebab shop, is London’s
first mezcaleria.
That means that the darkened room full
of mismatched furniture, mirrors and crazy
patterned wallpaper serves mezcal – more
than 50 versions of the potent Mexican
spirit, in fact. The guys who run the
place are fresh back fromMexico
where they fell in love with the
stuff. Tasting like a smoky cousin
of tequila, the drink’s intense
character comes from agave
plants cooked on hot rocks. It’s
more earthy, more fiery, more
primal, more visceral, more
grrrrr
than most things you will have
drunk before. Indeed, this bad
boy should be sipped straight or
enjoyed in a cocktail, rather than
downed. But by the time the bar
closes at 5am, it doesn’t really
matter which way you’ve had it –
you’ll be pretty merry.
It may only be February,
but this could well be our
drink crush of 2013. Mezcal
bars were a well-kept secret
in Mexico City, but they’re now
spreading across Europe like
a Mexican wave. Over in Paris,
for instance, the drink is being
enjoyed by the city’s most
discerning hipsters.
Candeleria
(
candelariaparis.com
),
a hidden,
Mexican bar, has a drink called
La Guêpe Verte. Originally created by New
York bartender Toby Cecchini, it’s mezcal
infused with pepper, cucumber, coriander,
agave and citrus, and it’s becoming famous
in the French capital.
Little Red Door
(
lrdparis.com
),
a new bar in the up-and-
coming hip Haut Marais district, has a
version called the Atomic Margarita, which
is made from muddled cucumber, tequila
and mezcal, chartreuse, Jamaican jerk
bitters, lime and agave syrup.
The Spaniards are at it too.
Hidden in the Gothic Quarter of
Barcelona, you’ll find
La Divina
(
5
Carrer d’Ataülf;
tel: +34 931
806 940
),
a cosy, local bar
that people are trying hard to
keep their little secret (sorry!)
thanks to the cute, authentic
décor and ridiculously well-
priced drinks. Try a house
special of a shot of mezcal with
orange, lemon and chilli – and
enjoy your hangover...
Finally to
Lupita
(
135
a
Skalitzer Strasse
)
in Berlin.
A small and mysterious
place on top of the Kaiser’s
supermarket near Kottbusser
Tor. Head to the steel door,
ring the Lupita bell and hope
they let you in, as sometimes
no one is on hand to open up
(
or they may decide you’re not
worthy). With a small terrace,
great mezcal selection and
regular, banging parties, we
say it’s certainly worth a shot.
Or maybe even two…
barchick.com
The spirit of Mexico
B A R C H I C K
This month our secret bar columnist investigates the Latin drinks
craze sweeping across Europe
1 0 3
V I E W P O I N T S
