Tango has been filling the streets of Buenos Aires for centuries but in recent years the milongas (dances) have been moving to a different beat. Welcome to the era of alternative tango! Nuevo tango (new tango) began to develop over twenty years ago with the adoption of different musical elements Read more…
An invention of La Puerta Roja this lethal concotion consists of a shot of vodka that has been mixed with chopped chillis and Speed, an energy drink. A full shot glass is plunged into a large glass of Speed and then expected to be downed in one foul swig.
When you first get to Argentina, it may seem that the only thing people drink is mate. Well, parched writer Sophie Parsons delves into the other drinks of Argentina- first up, licuados!
With a face full of pizza, awkwardly holding a beer in a plastic cup, surrounded by strangers, it’s hard to predict what to expect. You’ve arrived at a park in Palermo, signed in, chatted a bit, and loaded yourself with the much-needed sustenance for the night of drinking ahead. “How does this work? Who are these people? And am I going to have fun?” you ask yourself. Two hours later, as you give a group cheer to the bartender and slam down a neon-blue shot with 20 people; it all begins to make sense. You are on a pub crawl.
It’s Thursday night and you are pining for the weekend but just can’t wait any longer to unwind a bit early…Congo, the very unassuming and mysteriously sexy bar/lounge located in the ever-so-posh Palermo Viejo neighborhood is where it’s at. It’s a great place to catch an after-work drink with friends, mingle with the bustling population of slightly pretentious, good-looking, and flirtatious porteños, or to just chill after a long day and get lost in the undulating rhythm of the music as the energetic and friendly vibe takes you in.
The barrio of Belgrano has been around since 1885 and, during that time, it went from being a town, a temporary capital and a city, to a unique neighborhood in Buenos Aires. It is divided into five non-official sections: Belgrano C, Belgrano R, Belgrano Bajo, Chinatown and Barrio River. It also has the second most transited cross streets in BA: Cabildo and Juramento. However, what makes Belgrano distinctive is its beauty and tranquility. The best places in Belgrano are the ones you never hear about; these are just a few.
Although Gypsy traditions are commonly seen as reserved and mysterious, Lo de los Montoya, a Flamenco bar in San Telmo, is a welcoming peek at the musical side of gypsy culture. The Flamenco scene in Buenos Aires is packed with notable establishments, but Lo de los Montoya is proudly the only gypsy-owned bar in the city, and everything- from the food to the décor to the musicians themselves- exudes this gypsy heritage. The bar hosts live music and dancers nearly every night and serves up food (ranging from imported Spanish ham to a stew prepared by the owners’ aunt) to accompany the show. I was able to sit down with Alessio Aguirre, one of four proprietors of the restaurant, to discuss the bar, the future, and of course, the flamenco.
As South America’s most European city, Buenos Aires offers a never-ending offering of great food and drink, making it one of the most popular destination cities in the world.
However, after a full week of chowing parrilla and slinging Malbec and staying up until past dawn in the city’s boliches, it’s not a bad idea to just kick back and have a pint or two at one of the city’s best bars.
This is where The Temple Bar comes in.
More than a weekly party and underground hip hop hub, Zizek is a movement in Buenos Aires. Zizek is the Wednesday night party thrown by What’s Up Buenos Aires and DJ Villa Diamante at Niceto, now in its second year. It gets going around midnight and it’s where Buenos Aires’ cumbia, dub, reggaeton, and hip hop crowd goes out to be seen.
Zizek, the party, was named after a philosopher, Slavoj Zizek – apparently because he’s a well-known Slovenian academic who married an Argentine model (?). It’s a weekly that includes live cumbia and South American rap acts along with resident deejays and their guests. Villa Diamante is a resident, Zurita makes appearances as does El Remolon, Daleduro, Oro11, and Marcelo Fabian. These are the members of Buenos Aires’ default rat pack of hip hop/ cumbia/ reggaeton – call it what you will they bring the street to the club.
The popular old mansion and garden in Recoleta with the fancy drinks invites you to feel wealthy for a few US dollars. Its prices are extravagant for Buenos Aires, but its drinks are only out-lovely’d by its ambiance; where 19th Century mansion setting meets Millenium Argentine Polo/party crowd. From its decor to its minty martinis, Milion is a luscious pleasure.
