Inspired by women in the industry, Brujas, is the new and all-female Mexican cocktail bar that champions female talents.
Located in Mexico City, the bar draws its name from its location, “Casa de las Brujas” (House of the Witches), and it is where the most ancient of jobs are celebrated: witchcraft, enchanting, and shamanism.
Gabriela Lozada leads the team of six incredible female bartenders.
The building’s gothic aesthetics honors its name, and a very important Mexican shaman called “Pachita” who lived there. “There is a funny trick to see the face of a witch from a corner at the top of a tower since its dome is in the shape of a triangle that simulates a witch’s hat and below it has two small windows that allude to the eyes,” says Lozada.
The interior of the bar designed by Walter Meyenberg creates an intimate, cozy, and dark atmosphere, and the shelves on the wall display jars containing herbs, roots, rinds etc. used in the cocktail bar.
Upon entering, guests are greeted by the smell of copal, incense that helps cleanse the energy field as well as music curated to combine with the aesthetics, generating an atmosphere that immediately traps you in a temporal transition.
The all-female staff that work the venue keep their undivided focus on understanding the guest and their experience.
The cocktail program at Brujas is based on Mexican herbalism. “We wanted to honor all the grandmothers, great-great-grandmothers, mothers, and women who in times past cured everything, from a broken heart to clinical illnesses with herbs, flowers, barks, etc. All the ‘brujas’ in our lives,” Lozada explains.
The cocktail menu changes every four months and is always inspired by incredible women who have fought for their ideals and broken stereotypes; those who were called witches just for being different. The ingredients are also seasonal except for Mexican herbs.
The cocktail program is inspired by classics like Martinis and Spritzes, but they always have predominant herbal notes. “We had a menu based on flowers where all the cocktails contained flowers used in different ways, and in another we got inspired by a Latin American writer. The idea is to always create a connection between herbalism and cocktails as a tribute to all women” tells Lozada.
When asked what it takes to run a successful bar nowadays, Lozada believes that the most important thing is to understand and be passionate about the concept of hospitality. She says that having the skill to create the best atmosphere is very important, with drinks, lighting, guest connections, music, etc. “I think having that sensitivity to see the magic in the details and making it all come together is what keeps diners coming back again and again.”
Lozada’s advice for bartenders is to go back to the basics. “Make our guests feel at home, master the classics, laugh, enjoy our passion for cocktails and take care of all those details that help us develop a personal seal.”
The post A Bar Run by Witches, We Mean Women appeared first on Chilled Magazine.
Source: Mixology News
