Spencer Amereno returns with Oculto, a new bar in Vila Madalena

Oculto, a new speakeasy-style bar in Vila Madalena, makes no effort to draw attention to its entrance, a small brick house in a quieter part of the bohemian neighborhood in the west side of São Paulo. Everything there, in a space that only receives customers with prior reservations, happens in the basement, especially around the curved counter also built with exposed brick and old bottles of spirits. Behind it is a well-known star of São Paulo mixology, Spencer Amereno.

It is in the new bar, alongside mixologist Cristiana Negreiros, who signs the drinks menu with him — there are 15 signature options and another 12 classic cocktails — that the bartender known for years at the helm of the now-defunct Frank and for a brief stint at the award-winning Guilhotina, returns to head up a space, this time marked by organic shapes, with decor that brings a certain air of Catalan modernism to the house.

With over two decades of experience, Amereno is a much-celebrated figure among cocktail fans in São Paulo. If the now-closed Maksoud Plaza hotel, Frank’s former home on Paulista Avenue, was in a slow decline in the mid-2010s, the same could not be said of its lobby bar. The establishment, which was run by Amereno from 2015 to 2020, was even ranked among the 50 best bars in the world, until it closed its doors along with the hotel.

“We always try to be original and focus a lot on gastronomic cocktails,” says the mixologist, about the cocktail accompaniments and already remembering his favorite drink on the menu, the work of art (R$48), which combines Woodford Reserve whiskey with a bitter from the San Basile distillery — there is also a detail in the glass made with orange dye and edible wax.

In the same style, there is the negroni ammaliato (R$48), which combines gin, bitters, vermouth, Marsala wine and is served with orange jelly made from the peel of the fruit itself. It is worth eating the sweet treat after drinking the drink. There is also the amor e espresso (R$42), a reinterpretation of an espresso martini made with clear coffee liqueur, served with coffee foam and a buttery biscuit, Cristiane Negreiros’ favorite.

Among the selection of traditional drinks, the “(neo)classics” as they are listed on the menu, it is worth trying the London Calling (R$46), which mixes gin, sherry, Sicilian lemon, honey and orange bitters, and also the Alaska (R$56), made up of gin, herbal liqueur and orange bitters.

“There is a lot of pre-preparation to be able to deliver a balanced drink to the customer”, says Negreiros.

The cuisine also keeps up with the level of cocktails. Highlights include the heart of palm carpaccio (R$42), serving the vegetable with pickled onion, toasted avocado and radish, and the mignon tartare (R$45), a classic recipe served on brioche croutons.

Amereno still gives a nod to the late Frank’s and serves the dry martini the same way he did at the old bar. In the classic ratio of seven parts gin to one part dry vermouth, with a touch of orange bitters, the cocktail is served half in a glass and the other half in a small bottle surrounded by ice inside a tumbler.