Over the last decade, tequila and mezcal bars in the United States tended to follow a familiar script, as owners primarily focused on heralding the heritage behind each bottle on the back bar. But Superbueno, a new bar that’s scheduled to open April 21 in the East Village, aims to broaden the lens through which Mexican culture is perceived.
“I think there is a gap for a Mexican American style of bar that no one has done” in New York, said Ignacio Jimenez, who goes by Nacho and was born in León, a city in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato. Mr. Jimenez, who runs and co-owns Superbueno, wants to showcase his homeland not only in spirits, cocktails and food, but also in the ambience of his bar and the very style of service.
“There’s this kind of ease and welcomeness that we inherently have,” said Mr. Jimenez, reflecting on the nature of Mexican hospitality. “We just want to make you feel welcome. That’s what we reflect every day of our lives.”
Mexican food culture is evident in every cocktail. The Nogada Fizz uses poblano chile-infused gin, and plays off the dish chiles en nogada. The green mango martini, made with tequila and Sauternes, is a tribute to the fresh-fruit stands of Mr. Jimenez’s childhood. The roasted corn sour, a tequila-whiskey drink, is inspired by esquites, a Mexican style of roasted corn with lime and chile, and the Sopa del Dia is a three-part boilermaker composed of a shot of raicilla, another Mexican spirit, a cup of birria broth (a traditional soup) and a beer spiced with hot sauce.
Even the nonalcoholic cocktails use ingredients like mole spices, poblanos and guajillo chiles.
The food menu, by the chef Cyed Adraincem, who worked closely with Mr. Jimenez, includes quesadilla bombas, an updated version of the traditional quesadilla as a deep-fried tortilla filled with cheese and rajas or chicharrón, salsa de serrano and escabeche; and tostadas campechanas, with a daily rotation of cured fish.
The space’s design, by Jeannette Kaczorowski, will be airy and bright, featuring the sort of colors you might find on streets in Mexico, and will incorporate geometric elements that reference the work of the Mexican architect Luis Barragán. Luchador masks and hand-painted signs by Mexican artists hang on the walls.
Mr. Jimenez, 45, who came to New York in 2001 with no more than $100 in his pocket, worked his way up the hospitality ladder over 20 years, bartending at the Daily and Saxon & Parole. He made a name for himself at another East Village bar, Ghost Donkey (now closed), as one of the more gracious hosts in the cocktail world. His partner at Superbueno is the entrepreneur Greg Boehm, an owner of Katana Kitten, Mace and Cabinet.
Mr. Boehm suggested that Superbueno will be the Mexican equivalent of his bar Katana Kitten, which he owns with Masahiro Urushido and presents itself as a blend of New York and Japanese bar influences. Even the name of Superbueno is a mash-up.
Mr. Jimenez says he is “addicted” to making people happy. “We’re really fortunate to have this space that is so light and so bright,” he said. “People will feel that energy. I feel it every time I walk into it.”
Superbueno, 13 First Avenue (East First Street), 347-866-7739, superbuenonyc.com.
