The cool Dubai concept comes to London.
Alma, which means soul in Spanish, is ensconced in the basement of the Argentinian restaurant, Sucre, a London sibling to the DIFC outpost in Dubai. Owing to the acclaimed work of the kitchen above, Alma is the kind of grown-up cocktail joint that can just as easily function as a mini-restaurant all on its own. And – considering the clout behind the drinks we tried – you’ll probably find yourself browsing the food menu. Whether you want to perch across from the shakers in the amber glow of the long bar, or slide into an intimate booth along the back wall, expect a professional, refined experience.
Just like Sucre’s head chef, Fernando Trocca, who originally opened Sucre in Argentina before making his way across the Atlantic, Alma's cocktails bring South America to Soho. The list flirts strongly with the agave plant, which means a myriad of mezcal and tequila creations – rather than the usual variation on a Margarita. El Viajero blends Montelobos Joven mezcal with Hennessy VS Cognac, but all that smokey darkness is shot through with strawberry puree and spicy pineapple syrup. Likewise, the La Brisa crashes passion fruit puree and lime juice into a Pensador mezcal party. And, Luz De Lima combines two different tequilas (Patron Reposado and Olmeca Altos Platos) and lets them loose on flavours of rhubarb, pear, lime and vanilla.
For something gentler and sweeter, give the Pina Nueva a try: it provides the creaminess you would expect of a Piña Colada, but the coconut and pineapple is warmed up just a little via chipotle liqueur and chilli syrup. To visit Alma and swerve agave would be a shame, but for drinkers with different tastes, the cocktail list includes signatures based around other spirits. Bacchus blends Hennessy VS, Nuova Aquitania amaro, Dubonnet, apricot brandy and figs, while the Tokyo takes inspiration from a very location, shaking up Roku gin, with yuzu liqueur, Mancino’s Sakura vermouth, sake, “melonade”, and peach and jasmine soda.
For something really gentle, the cocktails extend to three non-alcoholic choices starring Everleaf or Seedlip. Gino pairs Everleaf’s crisp, Mediterranean-inspired Marine with apple and lime juice, and soda water. Alma also stocks a small selection of beers, a large, globe-trotting array of whiskeys and – as you might have guessed by now – a hefty variety of tequilas and mezcals.
Once the drinking necessitates a spot of eating, you’re in good hands. Firstly, don’t miss the chips. No, chips aren’t particularly Argentinian, but a good bar needs good chips, and Alma’s skinny, crispy golden wonders confidently fulfil the brief. But beyond the small list of typical drinking snacks, you could easily build a meal from Alma’s food offering. The menu covers an intriguing array of flavours, from a Beef Tartare topped with soy egg yolk and Parmesan cheese to skewers holding tiger prawns that have been doused in flames and kosho butter, providing a citrus kick via Japanese yuzu. Our Sea Bream Tiradito was as vibrant and light as you would hope. It boasts soft discs of flesh swimming in a piquant, gently spiced pool; delicious chunks of clementine dotted prettily among the fish demonstrated just how far we’d travelled from the average bar menu.
Larger dishes include half a Corn-Fed Chicken with confit garlic and salmoriglio (a Sicilian concoction of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano), Sea Bass with a Bilbaína sauce (garlic and chilli oil), or – as a nod to Alma’s northern European host, perhaps – there’s monkfish matched with a parsnip, bacon and mushroom ragout.
Clearly, Alma is not an average Soho basement bar: most tend to do one or two things extremely well, mainly to stay memorable in a competitive neighbourhood, and the average Soho basement bar is tiny. Alma, however, has the space and resources to comfortably cover multiple bases with aplomb. It is great for a first date: start perched at the bar with a good cocktail and, if things go well, migrate to a booth, grab the food menu and settle in.
GO: Visit https://sucrerestaurant.com for more information.