Most Creative Cocktails in Buenos Aires
While we travel around the world we like to connect with locals in each city, and with social media platforms making it easier than ever to connect with strangers who have similar interests to us we like to utilize these tools to make the best of our travels. Last weekend we spent an evening playing bartender at a local wedding with our long-time, digital friend Francisco with his cocktail catering company Holy Champagne. Following that, this week our friend Cynthia from Turista en Buenos Aires invited us to a menu launch party at an amazing cocktail bar hidden away on the outskirts of Palermo, Buenos Aires.
We had never heard of Anasagasti Bar previously so were not sure what we were in for when we found ourselves walking down the nondescript alleyway where we rang the doorbell of a door only marked by the street number. We didn’t even know if we were at the right location but this was the address so we waited until a well-presented gentleman opened the door and allowed us to enter. Entering the beautiful open space with antiquated decorations and furniture followed by a beautiful brass-accented bar, we knew we were in for a treat.
We started the evening with a glass of Malbec as we watched the bartenders creating cocktails for other early guests and were captivated by the beautiful and creative “glassware” like the “Create Cupcakes ………and Drink Cocktails” cocktail pictured above with Bacardi 8, mead, orange bitters and a spritz of absinthe which is mixed and then injected into a chocolate egg. YES… you drink this cocktail out of a chocolate egg.
After watching a few other cocktails being crafted we browsed through the 34 cocktail menu with an additional 3 punches to share between 4 or 8 people and decided to order a “Pretty in Pink” cocktail that was served in a large French Press serving 2 people. The flavors were complex and combined so perfectly that I could have just enjoyed these all night long. The grapefruit, beetroot, and basil flavors really showed through and were a delightful combination.
We tried many more cocktails throughout the evening and another crowd favorite was “The Coco is in the House” which combined the flavors of rum, coconut, pineapple, and chocolate. The flavors were great though I think the main draw to this cocktail was that it was served on crushed ice in a hollowed-out coconut husk with tropical flowers accompanying the tropical flavors.
Before the evening was over there was one last cocktail I had to try as its name had intrigued me throughout the evening and I was saving it for a nightcap. The “DYN” was calling my name; there was no flavor description though the text “Do it Yourself Negroni” said it all; once you name a cocktail a Negroni it’s fairly self-explanatory from there. The bartenders put it together in quick order and then enclosed the Negroni in a plastic bag and sealed it up leaving just a small gap through which they pumped in a little smoke, and then sealed it entirely. The end result was your very own smoked Negroni in a bag designed so that once you opened it the smoke would first fill your senses and then you “slowly” sip on your Negroni.
We will certainly be returning to Anasagasti Bar before departing from Buenos Aires next week on our way to Florida for the WSWA Convention and a little road trip along the coast. Follow our travels on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date.