Buenos Aires is known for its endless and lively night life. Many people are suprised at how late the nights start and subsequently how late they end. Generally speaking, people in Buenos Aires do drink quite a bit but they typically take it slow-allowing them to enjoy the entire night. Much like the food culture here, the act of drinking is more of a way to share time with friends. Everyone brings something to drink and shares it with everyone-taking note of when a friend’s glass is empty and filling it up.
A typical night out in Buenos Aires will look something like this:
→10:00PM Dinner time- often with friends or family
→12:00AM Previa or casual drinks with friends
→2:00AM Time to head out to your first destination
→7:00AM Time to head home as the sun rises
→Sleep until you have to get up, it is rare for people to get up early on the weekends
When in Buenos Aires you have little choice but to turn yourself into a wine-o. With a large variety of wines at very reasonable prices, it is easy to take this leap. It is very common to share food with friends in Buenos Aires and when invited it is always a good idea to bring a bottle of wine.
Argentina is known for its red wines, specifically Malbec which is primarily made in Mendoza. Malbec conveniently pairs well with steak dinners, something else that is easy to come by for reasonable prices- making for lovely and lavish dinners. For those of you who like your drinks a little sweeter, It is common for red wine to be served with Coca-Cola or ice.
If you are a white wine drinker, T
orrontés is a popular local wine that is native to Argentina. Torrontés is made primarily in the northwestern regions of Argentina and is known for its desceptively sweet smell and contrastingly dry flavor.
If you want to know more about Argentine wines, a wine tasting is a great way to scratch the surface. If you are an aspiring wine expert (wine-o), Mente offers a short course as well as an Intensive Sommelier Program.
2Mixed Drinks for Something a Little Sweeter
Fernet and Coke: This is probably the most popular mixed drink in Buenos Aires. If you are not familiar with fernet, beware it is an acquired taste. It is a bitter spirit that is made from herbs and spices. In Italy, fernet was originally created as a digestive to be had in small quantities after a large meal. Somewhere along the road people started to drink lots of fernet outside of meal time with cola to sweeten it up- a much recommended additive because fernet is very, very bitter.
Campari and Orange Juice: also a very popular mixed drink. Like Fernet, it was originally intended to be had in small quantities as a way to open your appetite before a meal. It is dark red in color and bitter in flavor. It is now very common to order a campari with orange juice and sometimes with seltzer to mitigate the bitter taste.
Vodka Speed: Argentina is no exception to the energy drink + alcohol craze. With a nightlife that goes all night and beyond into the wee hours of the morning, a little kick in the pants can help to get you through the night.
To know more about mixed drinks- porteño & beyond- Mente offers a bartending course to help you to become an expert.
3Beer Drinkers Guide
In recent years Buenos Aires is starting to see its very own craft brewery scene pop up. It is still something that needs to be saught out, but it exists. If you go to any bar you are going to see a lot of Quilmes and Stella in liters. Quilmes being the most popular national
brand, will always be your cheapest option. If you are just going to enjoy a drink with friends and don’t care much about the beer you are drinking these will be your staple beers.
For those of you who love to try beer, you will have to look for cerveza artesanal. As the years go on there are more and more options. For now we recommend the following bars to get your fancy beer fix:
- Cervecería Nacional is our top choice for craft beer. It is a tiny place with a great atmosphere that tyically serves 7 Colores on tap. For those of you who like to have a 6 pack in the fridge, Cerveceria Nacional has a selection of local bottled beer.
- NOLA is a New Orleans style gastropub that serves Cajún food and yummy beer from Broeders brewery.
- Bierlife is a new and lovely option for beer lovers in town. They brew their own beer and also work with other local breweries to serve beer on tap. It is spacious and overall a nice place to be.
Other BA bars the serve or make craft beer include but are not limited to, La Puerta Roja, Antares, Buller, Cerveceria Federal & many more to come!
Edited by Heather Houde
