Cocktails inspired by The Grinch or panettone? This is the Christmas menu of the Carnaval bar

Taking as inspiration Rodolfo the Reindeer, The Grinch and the classic panettone, among other well-known figures, Carnaval launched its new Christmas cocktail menu, ready to conquer diners during the month of December. The renowned project by Aaron Díaz, which this year ranked 43rd in The World’s 50 Best Bars ranking, celebrates the season with a varied offering. Advantage He tasted some of the options and in this note we tell you more about the experience.

Carnaval is characterized by a different approach to cocktails, where they offer combinations never seen before and with a clear message that they seek to convey in each sip. Its conceptual cocktails add to the quality service and the result is the first Peruvian bar to be part of the recognized ranking. The World’s 50 Best Bars. It was created by bartender and chef Aaron Díaz and opened its doors in San Isidro, in January 2018, where they are located until now.

“We always try to have something new to surprise our guests. We offer several experiences, we have guests from other bars abroad and, since December is the month we like the most, we were inspired to create a Christmas cocktail menu, for the third year,” explains Juan José Jesús, bar manager.

Working on cards of this style is an arduous task that takes months, according to Juan José as he checks that everything is impeccable and orderly at the bar, the warm heart of this bar. “We take it quite seriously. We divide the task among the bartenders so that each one, in accordance with the guidelines that Aaron (Díaz) gives us, can create the cocktails that we see on the menu today, there is a research process,” he assures.

A refreshing Christmas

Without a doubt, the variety of the menu is surprising since the cocktails escape the overly sweet and decadent flavors that usually characterize the Christmas gastronomic offer. Instead, with a lot of skill and creativity they take some key flavors as a base and refresh them with appetizers, syrups and other special liquors that are worth tasting.

The experience begins with a small welcome cocktail that is invited to all diners. The interesting thing is that it changes flavor every day of the year and on this occasion we tried a combination of rum, apple and amaro, a type of Italian aperitif. To snack they include a spicy and sweet pop corn, almost addictive.

We continue with one of the favorites of the night, The Grinch. Thanks to its peculiar decoration, sweet and pleasant flavor, and the curious pastel green color, this cocktail looks like it came from the Who villa. snowman It’s an option that, at first glance, could be confused with one of those frothy hot chocolates served with chocolate-covered marshmallows. But it’s actually a sour with bourbon, lulo, coconut, vanilla and Cynar, an Italian aperitif.

He Panettone It is inspired by the classic sweet bread that we enjoy. It has pisco with gin, panettone syrup, apple, Amaro, bitters and cocoa liquor. As decoration, it has the classic colors that we can find in the candied fruit with which this snack is prepared. In the mouth it is very smooth and almost creamy, with the perfect touch of sweet.

Without a doubt, the favorite of the night – purely a matter of personal taste – was Rodolfo The Reindeer. Similar to a mule, it uses gin, Licor 43 (herbal), kion and raspberry syrup, and ginger beer. You get a very refreshing drink, easy to drink and with the spicy touch of kión that makes this option a very interesting one in the mouth.

The Promised Gift It is one of the cocktails where the fun presentation adds to the experience, since a mysterious cocktail arrives at the bar wrapped in a red cloth, as if it were a gift left by Santa Claus himself. Juan José is in charge of revealing the mystery and, in addition, freeing it from an ice balloon with which it is served. The result is an option that should be taken as a bowl of soup and the profile is semi-sweet, thanks to the gin, raspberry, amaro, lemon and watermelon with which it is prepared.

We finally enjoy Cypress, another of the interactive cocktails. If you order it, you will receive a beautiful container, reminiscent of Christmas ornaments, where a mix of citrus fruits, fruits and a candy cane are served. Everything is crowned with a mix of tequila, cypress, elderberry liqueur, Italian grapes and Fino sherry. This cocktail is served in a separate glass, so that it can be enjoyed little by little.

The visit cannot end without some snacks and we opt for one of the new options. The Thai Prawns They include a generous portion of flambéed prawns cooked to perfection, served on a bed of vegetables and finished with a creamy curry with hints of lemongrass and coconut.

One more time, Carnival It achieves its goal of transporting us, for a few hours, to a unique space where all the diner’s senses are put to the test. Exquisite flavors, high quality liquors and creativity in every sip is what we can find in this Christmas letter.