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Mexican-Japanese bar to open in West London this November

24 October 2022 By Louis Thomas

Viajante87 in Notting Hill promises a “seductive yet elegant late-night destination” that marries agave-based cocktails with Japanese-inspired bar snacks in a Pan-Pacific fusion.

Bar director Panos Kanatsoulis, formerly of Mr. Fox Bar and The Clumsies in Athens, among others, will be presiding over the mixology lab in the basement. Cocktail development will be spurred on by a zero-waste philosophy, with off-cuts and leftovers recycled and reimagined.

Siri Johansson and Paolo Silvestri will be heading up the Agaveria. Striving to push the boundaries of what customers expect from agave-based cocktails. The Viajante Martini is a unique mixture of tequila reposado, bell peppers, fermented mead and green tea sherry, while the Cherry Blanco combines tequila blanco, sour cherry marmalade, clarified coca-cola.

While the cocktails lean towards Jalisco, the bar snacks are more Tokyo-inspired, but with a Mexican flourish: a trio of crispy rices topped (with the likes of spicy salmon, guacamole & fresh truffle), habanero teriyaki duck, and a rather decadent-sounding wagyu sando.

Founder Markus Thesleff, who is behind sister restaurant Los Mochis (situated next door), said: “I feel that West London has been missing something like this, so when the opportunity arose to open a very special cocktail-based hideaway, we leapt at the chance. It has allowed us a new channel for creativity whilst keeping the vibe high and music key. We’ve taken the elements that we know work and applied them to a diverse cocktail offering focused around our Agaveria, opening up the possibilities of what we’re able to do. The way people consume spirits has changed, they want somewhere fun, dark, and sophisticated where they can let loose, this is the perfect antidote.”

This article was originally published on Wine List Confidential and has been shared with permission.