Where to go for craft cocktails in San Miguel D'Allende, Mexico.

Skilled cocktail creators thrive in this artsy town

The craft cocktail revolution began with the start of 21st century. Curious and talented bartenders started researching old recipes and playing with them to create new drinks, full of herbs and fresh, exotic juices from indigenous fruits and vegetables. Inevitably the industry is maturing, the revolution is evolving; it’s probably moving from revolution to statement.

Sadly, I missed out on the discovery phase of craft cocktails. That’s because, generally, cocktails do not speak my language. They are too sweet, too acidic, too bold, too alcohol-y, too something to interest me. I wish there was a Match.com app for cocktails, where an algorithm could match me with my great cocktail love, that perfectly balanced, fresh-tasting drink that makes me swoon. Since that doesn’t exist - yet - it’s been all random meet-ups that rarely turn into magic.

Here’s the kind of magic I have been looking for. A visually arresting glass arrives in front of me. It stops me in my tracks. It’s an artistic vision – unique, its own thing, nothing I’ve ever seen or experienced before, a putting together of familiar and unfamiliar elements in a new way. The first sip begins the relationship. It’s a moment at once refreshing, exciting, sensual. There’s a hint of something familiar and a hint of something altogether new.

I experienced that magic in San Miguel d’Allende, Mexico, a small, artsy and gringo-laden city in the middle of the Mexico mountains, about a four hour drive north of Mexico City.

Discovering the wonders of craft cocktails at Tostevere - an intimate restaurant with killer food and drinks.

Tostevere is an intimate and highly sought after restaurant in San Miguel.

Tostevere, a cozy restaurant in San Miguel.

On the first visit, I didn’t really understand what cocktails were on offer. Here, take a look at the cocktail menu. It is so simple, it is easy to overlook.

The cost of these drinks is in Mexican pesos. The cost range from $8 - $10.50.

But, on night 1, as the cocktails floated by our table en route to other customers, cocktail envy began. My dining partner and I asked the hostess if she could find us seats the next night so we could return to sample the drinks, Miraculously she found 2 seats at the bar from precisely 6 to 7. In a restaurant famously known as a “tough reservation” we called this a karmic victory.

We ordered the Black Mamba and the Basil Sour: totally different from one another but alike in their deliciousness.

A black mamba is one of the most venomous and aggressive snakes in the world. It contains all sorts of scary sounding things like neurotoxins and cardiotoxins. If you think it sounds straight out of some assassin movie, you’d be right. Uma Thurman, the assassin in Kill Bill, was code named Black Mamba. It was also Kobe Bryant’s alter ego. In Kobe’s own words, “When I step on the court, I am that killer snake.”

At Tostevere, the Black Mamba cocktail kills you with complexity, sublety and sophistication. It’s black – come on, when have you ever seen a black cocktail. The bartender put a sprig of rosemary in it as she placed it in front of me, then lit the rosemary on fire. Very dramatic!

I love smokey flavors and this is the first time I’ve ever had a drink where the smokey flavor comes, at least in part, from actual smoke. It is the first thing that hits the nose. It is reminiscent of walking into a church where incense is burning. The smokiness lingers the entire time the drink does, mingling with the mezcal base. The drink is also cold, mild tasting, slightly sweet and very refreshing.

The bartender discretely slipped me the ingredients to this masterpiece:

• Mezcal

• Clara de huevo (eggwhite)

• Limon (lemon)

• Pepino (cucumber)

• Jarabe de carbon (activated charcoal)

The secret ingredient is activated charcoal, a tasteless powder with health benefits like reducing bloating and relieving diarrhea - kind of perfect in a place where stomach ailments are not uncommon amongst visitors.

.The Basil Sour was the polar opposite of the Black Mambo.

The basil sour was, well, full of liquified basil

The drink smells exactly like the huge pot of basil I grow on my deck in the summer. It’s a little honey, a little pepper, a bit of citrus and clove, elusive, familiar. I love it. The taste was similarly layered….a little sweet…a little acidic…a little salty. No tastes overwhelms another., The secret ingredients are:

• Vodka

• Albaca (basil)

• Licor de herbas (herbal liquor)

• Azucar (sugar)

• Limon (lemon)

• Clara de huevo (eggwhites)

Continuing the love affair at the Pirules Garden Kitchen at the Rosewood Hotel

I deeply believe in the farm-to-table ideology. Restaurants that are committed to local ingredients and chefs who take local ingredients and transform them into creative food and drink are high on my list. The Pirules Garden Kitchen at the fancy Rosewood Hotel sources their ingredients from within 60 miles of San Miguel and then uses both rustic and contemporary techniques to create food and drinks that are regionally appropriate and very creative.

There is also a drop-dead view from the bar area:

The bar at the Pirules showcases gardens and the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, the centerpiece of San Miguel.

Runners up in the cocktail love affair were these two beauties. Sadly, I do not have the names or ingredients of these drinks, but they were so light and airy and princess-y in color that I wanted to share them.

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Do you have any cocktail loves you would share?

Because I am a cocktail newbie, would you please share any cocktails you’ve had recently that you love. I’m interested in compiling and sharing a list of favorites from different places! If you have an idea - or even just a picture - please comment below!

The Places We Went in San Miguel:

Tostévere
Codo 4
Zona Centro, 37700
San Miguel de Allende, Gto, Mexico

Pirules Garden Kitchen
Rosewood Hotel
Nemesio Diez 11
Colonia Centro
San Miguel de Allende, GTO 37700 Mexico

Talk cocktails to me! Leave a comment!

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