Frigobar, SP’s new speakeasy, has signature drinks with its own brand of spirits

The facade is not at all sexy. If, in this trend of transforming attics, garages and any extension of establishments in São Paulo into a new secret bar, the customer at least passes through a restaurant or any other beautiful environment before arriving at the bar, the same cannot be said of Frigobar, the new speakeasy-style house in Perdizes, in the west side of São Paulo, hidden inside a kebab shop on the corner.

Right at the entrance, two very well-dressed couples clearly stood out from the bar decor, but they were also there for something else. In line at the cash register, one after the other they went to a not very inviting kitchen and from there they went through an entrance camouflaged behind the door of a vintage refrigerator, going down a staircase towards the bar.

Just like its patrons, Frigobar is a pleasant surprise, not at all dirty. The soundtrack here is jazz classics, and the sofas are tufted leather, surrounded by a few small round tables, with very low indirect lighting. The drinks menu ranges from some classics, to the house’s signature drinks, to a selection of whiskeys proposed by Pablo Moya and Diego Dillon, the house’s partners.

Among the signature cocktails is the Frigo Punch (R$44), made with Jack Daniels, rum, ruby ​​port wine, raspberry syrup, lemon, bitters and nutmeg, and the No Last Word (R$54), made with gin, Luxardo Maraschino, the house liqueur, Sicilian lemon, Green Chartreuse and ten-year-old Laphroaig whiskey. The house also offers a pear gin made in three different drinks, the La Sicilia (R$44), the pear fitzgerald (R$44) and the pear mule (R$44).

Moya and Dillon, by the way, also run Nib Bebidas, their own spirits brand. The company has been operating since 2018 and, in addition to the gin used in the bar, it has developed a range of ready-to-drink bottled cocktails and an excellent national bitter that can compete on equal terms with foreign brands, Nib Bitter.

The latter is also the main ingredient in another house cocktail, the Sampa Sour (R$79), which also contains Jim Beam Rye, almond syrup and Sicilian lemon. A low-alcoholic drink compared to the others on the menu, but quite tasty.

The highlight of the menu is a modified classic, the rabo de galo (R$42). At the bar, it is made with Sapucaia peanut cachaça, port wine and a vermouth of the customer’s choice—this bar drink with new ingredients is very well executed. It’s worth repeating.

The Frigobar doesn’t stay open very late, closing around 1am, but it does offer a treat to customers who stay until the end. Moya makes a selection of coffees that changes according to the week and always serves a round to wake up the last survivors who will continue into the night.