Casa Agave in Bristol & Bath
There’s been a lot of talk of Bristol & Bath being the UK’s next best agave hub… I had to of course see for myself and can confirm all the great things you have heard!!
I travelled down specifically to meet up with a fellow Mezcal lover who was about to move to London and saw a great excuse to pack my bag with more than clothes and introduce Bristol to some of my products.
After reading many fabulous things about Crying Wolf I was very excited to see them! They opened their doors only a few months ago after years of running their very successful sister company The Dark Horse. Despite having been open only a short time, the first thing anyone would notice when visiting is that it has a wonderful sense of being established, as if the bar has been open for many years. Very few places have that warm feeling with a sense of home and this is definitely one of the few! Beautifully laid out and designed with excellent handcrafted woodwork, there is nothing to fault here! With excellent staff, who are visibly keen to work there and are excited about new things and exploring the world of spirits, this place is golden! They are also in the process of expanding their agave range… watch this space!
Already having fallen head over heels for Mezcal the owners of what will become perhaps the biggest agave selection in Bristol took the time to see me and talk all about our joint passion: Mexico! We spoke for what felt like minutes but turned out to be much longer, I guess that’s simply what happens when you meet likeminded and passionate people. I have no doubt that the opening
of this venue will be one to remember, so make sure you don’t miss it!
I’m not going to lie, by staring blankly at my gps I couldn’t find the bar, but like we all should do more often and lift our faces off the screen: Hey presto! There she was on the top floor of an awesome complex surrounded by lots of creative businesses including more restaurants and bars! Cargo Cantina is a gorgeous agave haven with some of the best tacos I’ve tasted in England. With an obvious love for all things Mexican, we of course talked and sampled and talked and sampled until I had to leave. What a gem and I can’t wait to go back!
Otomi is a wonderful little Mexican shop where you can find all the ingredients to make your home feel like a holiday in Mexico, ranging from spirits to cooking books, from décor to actual toilet seats beautifully decorated! I couldn’t resist buying some tomatillos and blue tacos in preparation for a delicious salsa verde for when I got back home. The owners were an absolute delight and embodied the fun and happy vibe you feel when stepping in to their little haven!
My first stop in Bath was not far from the station and a wonderful spirits shop with a vast selection of spirits and craft beers. Despite dropping in without having arranged a meeting I mentioned ‘Tequila’ and their eyes lit up and I immediately knew I was welcome! The shop oozes a passion for spirits and their many masterclasses and tasting sessions prove that. I very much look forward to returning and doing a class of my own with them soon!
I’ve been looking forward to checking out an incredibly unique piece of history in Bath for a while and when I stepped in to the Hideout I was overwhelmed with the sense of so much ancestry.
This stonewalled underground bar used to be a meeting place for the outlaws of their day and even law enforcement wouldn’t set foot near it! The perfect spot to spend any bounty stolen from the rich! These wonderful connoisseurs of whiskey have decided it’s time to continue their success with the opening of a dedicated Mezcal hideaway! I’m very excited for this and can’t wait to see their plans in motion!
Back in Bristol my final destination was to meet up with fellow agave lover Rose who represents the first Mezcal I ever fell in love with: Enmascarado 54%! We met up at Amoeba which was delightful in every way imaginable and I am certain that if I hadn’t had to drive home in the morning I would not have left that night! The atmosphere was simply perfect, topped off with great staff and the hilarious messages in the loos had me cracking up throughout the evening e.g. ‘Whilst Mojitos are fantastic drinks, feel free to peruse the cocktail menu before making a decision’ or ‘Please do not drop names, bartenders are not paid to pick them up’. Unfortunately the evening had to come to an end but I couldn’t have hoped for a better way to spend it than with the awesome human beings I met that night!
I believe if you want something authentic then you need to find love for it and both Bristol and Bath are filled with some of the most passionate and eager people I’ve met on my travels so far. I have no doubt that it will grow to become a huge agave hub.
Saludos!
Jen
