If you’ve spent any time eating and drinking your way around East London, you’ve almost certainly been to – or at least heard of – Corrochio’s. The now-legendary Mexican eatery has grown from a tiny underground restaurant and bar to an impressive streetside slice of Mexican sunshine. And now, they’ve opened up their hotly anticipated sibling bar, CINCO, which serves up a carefully curated menu of Mexican food and drink.
Naturally, given our love of Corrochio’s (and tequila), we had to go and check it out for ourselves.
The clue is in the name at CINCO, where the drinks list comprises 5 agave, 5 Mexican spirit, and 5 non-alcoholic cocktails. Guests can enjoy the spirits in tasting flights, by themselves, or in cocktails. And alongside the drinks is a short-but-sweet selection of 5 small plates. It’s all about cinco at CINCO.
But there’s more than just tequila here, and they’re doing much more than just shaking up margaritas. Cocktails draw influence from co-founder Daniel’s family. (Fun fact: Daniel’s 102-year old father “credits his longevity to the tradition of drinking one or two tequilas a day before lunch”.) They range from the El Pichón (blanco tequila, melon liqueur, grapefruit, citrus, and verbena) to the El Tejate (corn- and butter-fat-washed Abasolo Whisky with a bitter aperitif, Nixta corn liqueur and creme de cacao).
Meanwhile, the food reimagines the most popular dishes from Corrochio’s into bite-sized portions. And they pair perfectly with the drinks. Don’t miss the Flauta de Pulpo – a blue corn tortilla deep fried with an octopus tentacle, on a bed of jalapeno mash. Their signature XO Taco is another crowd-pleaser, featuring pork belly on a bed of XO sauce, deep fried with panko and topped with salsa borracha and pink pickled radish.
CINCO’s spirits
If you’re crazy about tequila, or a mezcal maniac, then you’ll definitely want to check out CINCO’s impressive offerings. Corrochio’s and CINCO co-founders Daniel Corrochio and Amy McQuarrie hand selected the Mexican spirits as they travelled across Daniel’s native homeland of Mexico. In fact, “[some] of these rare tipples were bottled right at the still, and personally transported back to the UK”. So you won’t find anything like them anywhere else in London.
CINCO even has its own in-house, limited edition Mezcal, from a small producer in the Ejutla region of Oaxaca. The ‘Pechuga de Pia‘ was distilled with pineapples and is perfect for sharing with friends and family.
Said co-founders Daniel and Amy:
“CINCO is a true celebration of Mexico and the talent and expertise of artisan producers. Our aim is to highlight the breadth of Mexican agave and spirits from all over the country paying homage to production, sustainable practices and quality, but in a welcoming, relaxed fashion. We are so excited to pass on our knowledge and passion and to welcome guests into our own slice of Daniel’s homeland.”