Earlier than opening Cavaña in January 2023, the administration crew took an in-depth South American analysis journey to know the deep-rooted historical past of varied Latin cultures. The rooftop bar and lounge on the Luma Lodge San Francisco — a BevX winner for Finest Progressive Unbiased Beverage Program — has used that have to create a beverage program that’s infused with Latin American spirit and vibrancy.

The expansive and well-curated choice of spirits consists of high-end and imported mezcals, tequilas, piscos, gins and rum. Cavaña’s beverage director Emilio Salehi, bar supervisor Miguel Salehi and co-owner and managing companion Anthony Parks approached this system in a contemporary but accessible means, showcasing native and distinctive Latin elements similar to feijoa, yerba mate, mole, purple corn, uchuva, hoja santa and extra.

Celebrating Latin American Tradition

“At Cavaña, we’re captivated with Latin American tradition and wish to have a good time it with the world. That’s why we created an area the place you possibly can come to expertise one of the best of Latin American meals, spirits, taste, music and hospitality,” Parks says.

“We draw our inspiration from quite a lot of sources, however the vibrant flavors of Latin America are all the time on the coronary heart of all the things we do,” he provides. “We love to seek out distinctive and sudden pairings, similar to coconut and low, charred corn and pasilla chile, or candy peppers with cactus. We additionally take inspiration from basic Latin American cocktails and recipes, which function guiding concepts for our menu.”

Cavaña celebrates the spirits of central and South America with its expansive assortment of sugar-cane and agave distillates. The bar boasts pure wines from Chile, Argentina, Spain and California. The bottle service is an expertise resembling that of a sommelier, with tableside preparation of varied seasonal fruits, agua frescas and house-made pairing salts.

The restaurant takes a recent and progressive method to cocktails, enhancing its energetic social ambiance. Drinks such because the Palo Mandarina, with Mexico Metropolis gin, mandarin, palo santo and goldenberry, the Kiwi Hoja, with Bolivian brandy, mezcal, kiwi, hoja santa, lime and milk clarified, and others, don’t disappoint.

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Daring Menus Pose Challenges

Whereas creating and implementing the cocktail menu, Parks notes that they confronted fairly a little bit of self-inflicted challenges through the use of lesser-known elements. Making use of an fragrant wooden like palo santo in a Martini-style cocktail feels like an thrilling concept on the floor, however there was planty of trial and error for the Cavaña crew to get this drink proper.

“One other problem was sourcing a few of the elements we needed to make use of. For instance, we had a tough time discovering a gradual provide of hoja santa, a Mexican herb we use for our Kiwi Hoja cocktail,” says Parks. “We had been initially sourcing it from the yard of a neighborhood culinary professor. Being artistic and utilizing lesser-known elements isn’t all the time handy, but it surely’s all the time been value it to us.”

Cavaña provides substance past the attractive views, with a fastidiously curated beverage program and a passionate crew that delivers a memorable and high-value expertise. Every go to is a chance to find a brand new Latin-inspired musical expertise or favourite libation, capturing the eye of each new and returning visitors