Seductive Cocktails And Jazz In Mexico City

Jazz music may not be what you think of when you hear Mexico City, but at The St. Regis Mexico City's King Cole Bar, jazz alive and well.

Inspired by the original King Cole Bar in New York City, patrons find warm wood, earthy fabrics, a beautiful bar, and, most nights, live music, inviting them to grab a cocktail and stay a little while. Bar carts flank the entrance, harkening back to a more fashionable era. Illuminated bottles, arranged beneath a Pablo Weisz Carrington mural, beckon you to sample them. Sit on one of the olive green stools and be transported with a sip. Is it 1934 or 2015?

During my recent trip to Mexico City, our group celebrated the occasion with a cocktail hour on the terrace. A DJ spun modern music while clients sat in small parties, enjoying the view to Chapultapec Castle in one direction and the Diana the Huntress Fountain in the other. It was the perfect setting for an after work gathering.[pullquote:left]

We toasted the evening with Sangrita Marías, the St. Regis Mexico City's signature drink. Each St. Regis hotel creates its own version of the Bloody Mary, paying homage to its invention in 1934 by Fernand Petiot in The St. Regis New York. You can even purchase a book with the recipes for all the Bloody Mary variations the St. Regis hotels serve. The St. Regis Mexico City's version is a blend of mezcal, sangrita, and pasilla chile puree. The result is spicy and refreshing; I could have sipped them all night.

Have a hankering for a snack? King Cole Bar offers small bites to sample while you catch up with your friends. We tasted an assortment of them, including foie gras mousse, grilled octopus, ceviche, and more. It is comfort food elevated, and just enough to tide you over until dinner later in the evening.

I returned to the King Cole Bar on my last night and struck up a conversation with the bartender. Having already thoroughly enjoyed a Sangrita María the other night, I asked for his next best recommendation. He made me something called "The Seductive," a combination of gin, red berry vodka, lime juice, and lychee juice. It was a beautiful shade of pink and perfectly balanced, with a pleasant sourness to it — just what I needed to start my evening.

With the staff's infectious pride in their work, the cozy atmosphere, music filling the air, and delectable drinks flowing all night long, all great nights in Mexico City could start and end at King Cole Bar.