A short trip brought me to Paris recently. The city of love, well not really for me. The vibrant melting pot is beautiful indeed but why it is one of my least liked cities in Europe is hard to tell. Might be because it feels there is a hint of arrogance slapped in your face every day. Its starts when you speak French but nobody would actually support that you try to speak it, instead a harsh switch to English is initiated. I had only one night and a long list of bars. Before doing some research, I thought there is not much to see in regards to interesting cocktail spots. I knew Candelaria, ECC and Dirty dick from a friend of who was recently in the city. I realised though that there is much more to check out. You stumble across interesting names like Sherry butt, Moonshiners and Little red door. Unfortunately dinner took a bit longer and I was able to check out just one. As Candelaria was the closest to the dining destination choice was an easy one. It was also the only one that is in the top 50 bars of the world so I thought there is something to experience. You enter through a neon light flooded Taco place. The little delights look delicious though and you feel that you could be somewhere in Mexico city at a street corner. As soon as the door opens to the back you enter a vibrant bar which is dimly lit and offers a few small sitting places and in two corners you find some tables and chairs that host up to five people.
Luna Silvestre Cocktail
The counter itself is very small and does not fit many people so the bartender must find a way to work efficiently. I am totally aware of the fact that writing a review of a bar is per se a subjective thing to do and going there only once underlines that fact even more. Plus most of the time a bar is more frequently visited on weekends and therefore going there on a Wednesday ends up being a different experience than going there on a buzzing Friday night. Last but not least it also depends who is working that night and creates your cocktail. This is why I try to tell my personal experience that I had in a bar but also add some facts that should just always stay the same. Going into Candelaria on a Friday though was a bold move and might end up me turning around and head back out. Luckily we found a little spot at the bar after a few minutes waiting in the crowd in a temperature that was almost unbearable. Guess the bar also wanted to create the feeling that you are at a hot corner in Mexico city. Situated next to the female DJ which played on one side of a the bar counter which was not bigger than the table size of an economy class short-haul plane. Rather cool sound I must admit, psychedelic house would describe it best. The backbar is put together with wooden crates. One sees a range of tequilas and mezcals which fit the scene, the name and definitely the taqueria outside. There is a strict non-smoking policy at Candelaria. The smoking business is done out on the street. Water service is something that is not known at Candelaria. Not even for the people sitting at the counter. Always a shame, it should just be a standard. The menu consists of two wooden boards that create the front and back cover. One finds selected cocktails on the front page. Classics and other drinks are found on the subsequent pages. Interesting menu with something for everybody except maybe the classic cocktail lover as I am. I assume people don’t tend to drink as many short cocktails in summer than in winter and therefore the menu is changed frequently but that is just a sheer guess. Nevertheless I chose something from the menu which sounded unusual. Luna Silvestre which consisted of Avocado, sotol, aquavit Aalberg, lime juice and a rim of salt from red crustaceans. A very pleasant drink indeed. Very balanced and flavourful. An excellent composition. What’s a bit annoying is that you have to pay every drink on the spot. That could be improved in my opinion. Another drink I saw came with a creative idea. As a decoration a small amount of crushed ice is placed in a lemon squeezer. A quick press and what comes out is a beautiful little ice bowl that you can fill with fruits or other things. I wonder though what happens when it melts and creates either a mess outside the glass or dilutes the drink. As the temperature seemed to rise further I thought I give it one more drink. Had to try a classic and opted for a Sazerac with cognac. What came was a very very small tumbler that lacked the balance between the spirit, the sugar and the bitter (there was almost no sugar) and the absinthe was completely missing from the glass. Finally no zest was added to the drink. Not top 50 worthy I thought. Getting fresh air was definitely a delight when we exited the bar. I would definitely give it another try, also to see if there is a chance to have a word with the barkeeper who were dressed in ordinary t-shirts but guess that also suited the laid back Mexican vibe.
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