Lima Floral to relaunch basement bar as the Lost Alpaca

Lima Floral in London's Covent Garden will be relaunching its bar at the end of the month as the Lost Alpaca.

The relaunched and refurbished 30-cover basement bar will serve cocktails that showcase the flavour profile of Latin America through speciality spirits, as well as Peruvian bar snacks.

From Mexico's mezcal and tequilas down to Brazil's cachaça and Venezuelan rums, the bar will serve the national cocktail of Peru, ‘the classic pisco sour', as well as ‘the palo santo vibe' (palo santo-smoked pisco, tobacco liqueur, mint, chicha morada syrup and ginger beer) and the Brazilian-inspired ‘alpaca punch' (cachaça, dark rum, cherimoya, guava and lucuma finished with a touch of Prosecco).

The new design will feature retro wording printed on distressed brick walls and a new bar counter carved from reclaimed timber.

The bar is also partnering with Cool Earth, a charity that works alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation and climate change. For every alpaca punch that is sold, 50p will be donated to the charity.

Co-founder Gabriel Gonzalez said: "We wanted to launch the Lost Alpaca to showcase the best spirits and mixology that Latin America has to offer. We hope to leverage the continent's association with fun to create an exciting and atmospheric bar serving high-quality food and drink in Covent Garden.

"The area is rapidly becoming a must-visit dining destination in Central London, with a variety of new restaurant openings in the area, but we felt that the neighbourhood had fallen short of good quality cocktail bars."

The restaurant upstairs will also offer a new sharing menu following the appointment of head chef Patricia Roig, with Peruvian plates including hot salmon ceviche served with a corn tostada and langoustine broth; duck tiradito with purple corn chips and nikkei salsa; and suckling pig with celeriac purée.

Other new additions include yuca fries served with a yellow aji pepper and goats' cheese salsa; plantain crisps with avocado and coriander cream; and beef empanadas with huancaína.

Patricia Roig appointed head chef of Lima Floral >>

Lima London on ditching the à la carte: ‘fine dining is slowing down' >>

"The restaurant economy is changing": Lima London's new sharing plates menu >>

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