Latin Liquor: Sipping tequila, mescal and more in Calgary
Good margaritas are easy to find, but other lass-familiar Central and South American drinks are now getting the respect and admiration they deserve. Calgary foodies (and drinkies) are happily enjoying fine tequila and mescal selections at city bars and restaurants as well as sipping South American wines. These venues feature Latin-inspired drink selections. Salud!
Los Chillitos Taco & Tequila House
1309 17 Ave Sw, Calgary AB T2T 0C4Occupying a small mustard-coloured house on 17th Avenue Southwest just off 14th Street, tacos and tequila is the signature Mexican combo at Los Chilitos. Its tequila list ranges from basic blanco, to añejo, extra-aged and ultra-premio, with each category more aged and refined than the last. Ask for a house-made sangrita chaser to accompany your shot. Flavoured tequila and mescal are also available, as are Mexican beers and micheladas (juiced and spiced beer).
Salt & Pepper Mexican Restaurant
1413 9 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2G 0T4Located on Ninth Avenue Southeast in Inglewood below Lolita’s Lounge (menu is also available), Salt & Pepper is a casual and comfortable Mexican restaurant. Make lunch or dinner a wee fiesta by consulting the liquor menu where you’ll find Mexican beer (Dos Equis, Modelo, etc.), beachy mixed drinks such as margaritas and beergaritas, and a good selection of tequila labels including Patrón, 1800 and Don Julio.
Añejo Restaurant
2116 4th Street SW #2, Calgary AB T2S 1W7Its classic-contemporary Mexican menu, Day of the Dead decor and atrium-style lounge have made Añejo a huge hit. The restaurant’s tequila list is a veritable bible of brands at 200-plus, a selection of which are available in well-priced tasting flights. The mescal selection is likewise impressive, clocking in at 36 labels. Perhaps unique to the city, here you’ll find Hacienda de Chihuahua sotol, an alcohol distilled from the yucca-like plant of the same name. Both tequila and mescal are squeezin’s of the agave plant.
Tropical
1424 17 Ave SW, Calgary AB T2T 0C3The street food menu here ranges from small plates such as Colombian empanadas and Cuban sliders to sharable Latin street-style barbecue and mouth-watering mains: churrasco strip loin steak, chicken medallions and halibut with coconut sauce. The tequila selection includes labels such as El Jimador, Patrón and Don Julio and mixed drinks include mojitos and piña coladas. Also Latin accented, the wine list features Chilean and Argentinian vinos as well as sangria.
Native Tongues Taqueria
Mezcal is the house drink at Native Tongues, a cheerful and contemporary Latin lounge serving charcoal-grilled tacos and Mexican street food. Cocktails are creative and make refreshing use of Latin ingredients from pisco to rum. The establishment’s lengthy mezcal list is exclusively Oaxacan and its tequila hails from Jalisco.
Julios Barrio
1110 Memorial Dr NW, Calgary AB T2N 3E3Bulldogs and margaritas are big at this Mexican party castle in Kensington. But you can also pair you tacos, burritos and antojitos with tequila selections from its well-priced menu of more than 50 labels. Ask for a seat on the river-facing, second-floor patio in warm weather.
Charbar Restaurant Inc
618 Confluence Way Se, Calgary AB T2G 0G1With Argentine-style sourdough pizza and wood-fire grilled barbecue dishes on its menu, the Charbar liquor list leans lightly to the Latin. The Amigo, for instance, is a bright cocktail constructed in part with el Jimador Tequila Blanco, jalapeno syrup, lime and grapefruit juices. Food-friendly red and white wines are largely South American and the sherry Spanish. Reservations are recommended at this gorgeously converted brick-and-beam mattress factory.
