Swat up on your mezcal knowledge at Doña
The all-female team behind sultry cocktail bar Doña know just what to do with a bottle of mezcal. In fact, they know how to brew the smoky Mexican spirit, too, and use their own brand – Dangerous Don Mezcal – to lace several of their drinks. The basement bar on Newington High Street is the love child of Dangerous Don founder Thea Cumming and the brains behind London Mezcal Week Lucie Massey. Together, they’ve created a bar that’s romantic (plush interiors in hues or red and pink), quirky (with lampshades askew and retro glassware) and spiritual (it's scented with incense and there are vague plans to host yoga classes in the bar during the day).
Doña’s cocktail menu is short and confident. Of those we tried, the Molly – a muddling of mezcal, blackberry, lime and agave – was sour and refreshing. But the titular Doña, a mix of Dangerous Don Mezcal, Virtuous Ginger, Supasawa, agave and coffee beans – was bizarre, the latter ingredient sticking out like an unpleasantly sore thumb. The best, a mezcal margarita, is not even the menu. It’s short, sharp, rimmed with chili salt and pure joy to drink. Whatever else you try, go off grid and order this.
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WHEN
Open now
WHERE
92 Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 7NY