Understand why SP has seen an explosion of drink bars in recent years

There is a recurring meme that says that Brazil forces us to drink. For the paulistano who takes this joke seriously, the good news is that it just got a lot easier — and with better options.

In recent years, the cocktail scene in the capital of São Paulo has gained body, technique and established itself. Now, what is not lacking in the city are counters dedicated to preparing good drinks, in specialized houses or in restaurants, which have also begun to invest in their bars.

“São Paulo has had one of the most exciting growths in the world in the last ten years”, evaluates bartender Fabio la Pietra. An Italian, he arrived in Brazil to take over SubAstor in 2013, when the cocktail shop was starting to gain strength in the city. “Demand was much more classic. Also, we sold about 80% less cocktails than we do today.”

“There was an evolution in the will of the average consumer and also in the interest of bar owners”, continues La Pietra, who emphasizes that there was also an incentive for beverage brands, with educational projects for bartenders and campaigns to attract consumers.

Michelly Rossi adds that the cocktail shop not only gained a more technical perspective, but also became professional. In the sector since 2006, the bartender has tickets to addresses such as Alberta and Frank, both now defunct, and Fel, a drinks bar on the ground floor of the Copan. Currently, she runs the Bar dos Arcos, in the basement of the Municipal Theater, provides consultancy for Riviera, in the Paulista region, and is preparing the letter for Love Cabaret, the former Love Story, scheduled to open in January.

“In the past, if the bartender wasn’t available, a waiter would go there and prepare a cocktail himself,” says Rossi. She adds that today there is an increasing concern with ambiance, crockery and, above all, interaction with the customer. In the bar, the counter is not a physical barrier, but the place that connects the public and the bartender, who has the opportunity to present new flavors to a clientele that is increasingly willing to explore them.

Rossi recalls that when he started working in São Paulo, in 2010, the bar menus were practically the same and basically offered mojito, bloody mary, manhattan and caipirinha. “The drinks were sweeter and the ingredients were more industrialized.”

As in restaurants, the concern with ingredients has also gained space in bars. More than worrying about the quality of the distilled and fermented products they use, professionals have started to dedicate themselves more and more to the preparation of the inputs used in the recipes.

The bar named after Gabriel Santana, in Pinheiros, is an example. Trained in gastronomy and with experience with molecular cuisine, the bartender uses the most diverse techniques in the preparation of drinks, in processes that can last for days.

In recent years, the evolution of São Paulo’s cocktail industry has gained international recognition. In 2017, Frank, Guillotina and SubAstor appeared in the global ranking of the 50 Best Bars. It was the first time that Brazilian businesses appeared on the list.

Fundamental for paving the scene in the city, the three houses had just won the company of places like Tan Tan, opened at the end of 2015, and Guarita and Guillotina, opened in 2016.

Today, only Tan Tan is in the 50 Best, in the 62nd position, and Frank is out of the game. Spencer Amereno Jr., the bartender who ran the house, is in charge of Guillotina, in addition to signing the letter from Carrasco, with whom he has shared a property since the beginning of the year. Guillotina is also responsible for the Barnô bar, a newly opened rooftop in the Jardins region. Options are not lacking for a city that has learned to love drinking.

Where to drink in Sao Paulo

Bar dos Arcos
Municipal Theater – Pça. Ramos de Azevedo, s/n, República, central region. Instagram @bardosarcos

Gall
Copan Building – Av. Ipiranga, 200, República, central region. Instagram @fel.sp

Security cabin
R. Simão Álvares, 952, Pinheiros, west region. Instagram @guaritabar

SubAstor
R. Delfina, 163, Vila Madalena, west region. Instagram @subastor

Tan Tan
R. Fradique Coutinho, 153, Pinheiros, west region. Instagram @tantannb