NARDO Cocktail Club, Art and Fun

NARDO, A MUST IN DOWNTOWN FOR COCKTAIL LOVERS.

Mexico City´s downtown area could be as overwhelming and as fascinating. So many people walk through Madero street, some are going to work, some others are there to run some errands and of course, we can’t miss out on tourists. Although this is one of the most important areas of our city and there´s no lack of historical places to amaze us, after a couple of hours we might want to find a place peaceful place to have a drink, charge our energies and go back to the chaos.

NARDO Cocktail Club is the place that could represent an escape in the heart of the city. Located on the premises of the Hotel Umbral it´s a modest bar in a gallery that not only offers signature cocktails and Chef´s Jaime Durán Cuisine but also represents a tour through drinks that will guide you throughout Downtown´s history.

Going up the spiral stairs in a black cube with warm lightning, you get to an entirely white space that continues with the hotel concept,  a threshold that will transport you onto another atmosphere. On the left, the room has an exhibition area cured by Galería 69; on the right, the spirits bar and a couple of tall tables with benches.

About the service, it is personalized and friendly, NARDO´s team feels more like a group of welcoming friends, more than a bar staff whom you´ve just met. The food menu has nice surprises of experimental food inspired by traditional recipes. The Black Lamb taco was one of my favorites, it comes with a side dish of bean soup, avocado, purslane, and manzano pepper.

Snacks also stand out, like the Truffled Endives with parmesan cheese and garlic or the grilled asparagus with a mix of seasonal lettuces and caesar dressing produced in the kitchen. For dessert, a dark chocolate mousse was an excellent closure, it comes with cacao meringue and chocolate & mezcal ice cream.

But back to our main interest, the cocktail bar is a historical trip through different areas of Mexico City. The menu designed by Ramón Tovar includes eight drinks that will invite us to know more about the city´s downtown. The team toured the area and got to know its places of interest to then capture the essence of each place into a cocktail. Starting off with Teté inspired by the Teresa Cinema, prepared with Condesa Gin, lime and fresh mint, passion fruit puree, vanilla essence, and cider. This drink is served in a popcorn box, with real popcorn and a pair of 3D glasses.

Another important point of the drinks: they are all served in a fun way and include objects that you can take home as souvenirs. A great example is Mr. Lee, inspired by Mexico city´s Chinatown. It is prepared with Montelobos Espadón Mezcal, sake, green tea, natural syrup, and lychee. it is served in a chinese food box with a fortune cookie. 

My favorite was Aguila y Sol, a curado de espadín, green chartreuse, cactus honey with bay leaves, figs, lemon, and fried cactus as garnish. This drink is inspired by the legend of the foundation of The Great Tenochtitlan. The Mexicas found an eagle standing on a cactus devouring a snake. This was the sign of the Gods to indicate the place where the glorious city was to be founded. 

Nardo Cocktail Club is a breath of fresh air in the heat of Mexico City, the perfect moment to take a small break, get to know a bit more of downtown, and try cocktails that I´m sure will become a new referent in the cocktail scene of the city.