We had learned that the bar hidden beneath the restaurant, Panela, had changed concepts from the…read moregeneral cocktail lounge, The Sinatra Room, to the tequila- and mezcal-focused, Perico Speakeasy. Since we were big fans of those alcohols, we decided to check it out. The walls of the space were covered in colorful murals with Latin American imagery. There were banquettes along either wall with small tables and ottomans scattered in front of them, providing separate, little areas for each group. Large playing cards were fanned across each table with Jack, Queen, King, and Ace cards each having a menu on its backside. There were bar bites, a spirits list, classic cocktails that could be reimaged with your agave spirit of choice (picture a tequila mojito), and even a custom beverages. The creative drinks were not cheap, coming in at around $20 on average, but they certainly were complex!
My La Balacara featured Casamigos Mezcal, spiced pear, Luxardo, orange, ginger, chestnut honey, and a chili tincture. I thought the drink sounded outrageous, but, sadly, all I tasted was that honey, the ingredient of which I was least interested. In fact, the smokiness of the mezcal really did not play well with the chestnut honey, leaving it to taste sort of like licorice. I was not a fan. My companion's El Encanto included Casamigos Cristalino, Lillet Blanc, strawberry-lemongrass cordial, guava, and basil, which sounded herbaceous, but really just tasted like a fancy daiquiri. He enjoyed it, but I found it unimpressive. Our drinks were accompanied by a complementary bowl of spiced popcorn, which was delicious. We had come from an earlier dinner, so the snack was as much as I needed. However, the few larger food items that I saw others order all looked great.
While I would go back to Perico to try some other items, I felt like I had had better, more affordable cocktails upstairs at Panela.
