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Kaito del Valle

Mexico City

Kaito del Valle began as an upstairs izakaya to accompany the stellar sushi restaurant of the same name. But, over time, the bar grew into a destination of its own. Drawing inspiration from Japan’s fabled ‘kaito’, or female pearl divers, the team is mixing up one-of-a-kind Japanese inflected cocktails… and loving every minute of it. Led by the mezcal aficionado and long-stime supporter of women in Mexico’s bar scene, Claudia Cabrera, the all-female staff strive to ensure that their guests enjoy the experience as much as they do.

Sure, there’s an amazing sake collection and an impressive highball list. But Kaito prefers to honour the Japan of post-punk, kawaii cuteness and maneki-neko, the lucky cat that populates the bustling concrete space serving as the bar’s mascot. The bar is about creativity and joy: both are evident in signature drinks like the Godzilla (gin, sake, wasabi syrup, lemon and lemongrass) and Pikachu (mezcal, sake, sherry, wasabi, pineapple, lemon, garnished with a fortune cookie), as well as their seasonal takes on pop-culture cocktails, like the recent Hanami Season line-up of floral-based drinks.

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