Bar Coyo

Bar Coyo is the tequila and mezcal ‘speakeasy’ tucked behind Coyo Taco, the Miami-born taco joint that has opened its first UK site in Victoria. Calling it a speakeasy might be a bit of a stretch, given that the entrance is a bright stained-glass door right inside the restaurant. Inside though, it’s far calmer than the restaurant’s weekday crush. Tucked just off St James’s Park, the place draws a mix of tourists and after-work suits during the week, though it's made for bigger nights than that. Decks are set into the bar with resident DJs playing Thursday to Saturday, so the quiet, candle-lit weekday night we catch is just Bar Coyo warming up.

The venue’s standout feature is the booze lockers; if you buy a whole bottle that you can’t finish, it’s yours to keep behind the bar, complete with your own key, for up to six months.

Carajillo con chocolate is an espresso martini’s sophisticated older cousin

The cocktail list avoids obvious takes on the classics. Instead there’s a smoked fig old fashioned, made with mezcal and fruit liqueur, giving it a boozy warmth but with the smoke of a bonfire hanging over it. The yuzu toreador had a citrus zing with none of the syrupy sweetness margaritas can sometimes fall into. We also go for a carajillo con chocolate, after spotting it on a neighbouring table. An espresso martini’s sophisticated older cousin, it was silky and chocolatey enough to pass as dessert. 

Each drink comes with a small card explaining what’s in it and how it’s made; a nice touch for anyone who likes to know exactly what they’re drinking, or who’s nosy enough to want the recipe for themselves.

Order this

The bell pepper cocktail is worth a try, refreshing in the way a turmeric shot is.

Time Out tip

Treat yourself to a tequila tasting. You get three pours; the first has a vanilla edge, the second is smoked in a barrel and the final one is clean enough to taste the pure agave. They serve it with a citrus and chilli sangrita chaser, the traditional Mexican pairing for sipping tequila. Hilariously, that chaser turns out to be the best drink of the night, and it isn’t even alcoholic.