The bustling city of Buenos Aires, located in Argentina, is the proud home of an innovative and vibrant cocktail culture that has garnered worldwide attention. Despite the economic challenges posed by import restrictions and an unstable exchange rate, the city’s bars have successfully reimagined classic cocktails by utilizing local ingredients, consequently achieving widespread acclaim.
The economic landscape in Argentina has presented obstacles in importing traditional cocktail components, prompting bartenders to explore local alternatives and craft entirely new concoctions from indigenous wines, spirits, and botanicals sourced from the Andes. This necessary adaptation has given rise to a wave of inventive cocktails and a renewed interest in locally-produced vermouths.
Martín Auzmendi, a prominent figure in the cocktail scene, has played a pivotal role in this revival. Alongside his associates, they ventured into the creation of Argentina’s first local vermouth, La Fuerza, utilizing wine derived from the Torrontés grape and infused with over 30 meticulously chosen herbs from the Andes. The result is a concoction with a distinctive herbal complexity, establishing a new benchmark for domestically-produced vermouth.
The success of La Fuerza led to the establishment of a bar bearing the same name in the emerging Chacarita district, drawing a young and enthusiastic crowd eager to indulge in this innovative creation. This burgeoning appreciation for local ingredients and inventive cocktails has breathed new life into historical bars such as La Roma, which has experienced a revitalization due to the resurgence of vermouth in the city.
In addition to La Fuerza, establishments like Doppelgänger in San Telmo have adopted an unwavering dedication to their craft, presenting a meticulously curated selection of over 150 cocktails. The commitment to utilizing locally-produced wines, vermouths, and botanicals has resulted in signature concoctions such as the “Floats Like a Butterfly, Stings Like a Bee,” demonstrating the bar’s steadfast commitment to bold and innovative flavours.
The city’s dedication to cocktail innovation has not gone unnoticed, with three of Buenos Aires’ bars securing positions in the World’s 50 Best Bars list. From the multi-roomed CoChinChina with its Vietnamese teahouse ambiance to the gothic-inspired Tres Monos recognized for its creative in-house liqueurs, the diversity of offerings in Buenos Aires’ cocktail scene mirrors the city’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of mixology.
In the face of economic adversity, the cocktail bars of Buenos Aires have exemplified that resilience and creativity can thrive. The use of local ingredients has not only elevated the city’s cocktail culture but has also set a new standard for innovation in the global mixology scene. As the world looks on in admiration, it’s evident that Buenos Aires has firmly established itself as a powerhouse in the craft of cocktail making.