Vasco

The boys behind Jiak Chuan’s The Cufflink Club opened their second bar and it’s all about South America. The place has a real Garcia Marquez vibe with leather booths, hanging copper lamps, colorful distressed tile work and bureaucratic-looking signage that reminds us of 19th century recreation clubs. 

We love the fact that the bar only stocks a list of spirits native to South America—you won’t find any malt whiskey or handcrafted gin. Here, it’s all about mezcal, cachaca, rum, pisco and tequila. The cocktail list reads similarly to that of The Cufflink Club but drinks like Mexico ’70 ($23), a twist on the Negroni, is made with tequila. There are also cheekily-named creations like the Cusco Puta ($24) with pisco, strawberry, capsicum, chili and lime, alongside caipirinhas and pisco sours.

In the kitchen is Andrew Walsh, formerly of Esquina, dishing out a medley of iconic regional dishes: empanadas ($12-17), a few ceviche ($20-21), heartier plates like a cubano sandwich ($22) and beef tartare with chimichurri and tortillas ($29).