Comala
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND OUR BAR
The year is 1815. It has been 5 years from the now famous Cry of Dolores. The territory known as Nueva España finds itself in the middle of a revolution that will come to be known as the Mexican War of Independence. At that very same time, the defeated and shamed French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, waits alone in exile on the Island of Elba. The world doesn't know it yet, but the Emperor is only days away from making his grand escape in hopes of coming back to his country to try and take back what is left of his empire.
Meanwhile, in a sub-delegation of the province of Guadalajara known simply as Colima, there exists a small peaceful town by the name of Comala. During this time, Comala remains neutral to the ongoing conflict in the territory. As battles are being fought from North to South of what is now Mexico, the tiny town is willfully ignoring the conflict altogether, choosing to become a semi-autonomous Indigenous Republic, with its own set of laws and its own Governor. This is the place where people meet without worries, regardless of which side they are on. No other place like it exists during this time, and not very many will exist after. Not quite Spanish. Not quite Mexican.
Just a peaceful place on the map. This is Comala, our Casa del Mezcal. At the moment, there are about 85 Mezcales on our shelves. There are 4 seats at this bar, reserved for tastings. A bit like an Omakase table, only instead of fish, we have beautiful Mezcal. We opened this place in November of 2022. We sort of rushed it together as we were coming into Fall/Winter and quickly needed to replace the Taqueria and La Fondita spaces or close down. It took us 3 days to make a number of changes and make it a bit more cozy. It was quite the undertaking. In October of 2023, we started doing the same, only this time making it into the bar that we always wanted. The furniture, the lighting, the entire seating layout... it needed to make you feel connected to an experience. This was always intended to be a bar with a focus on Mexico, more specifically, one that would have existed in the 1800s. Not the look, necessarily, but the story of a particular city which for a number of years regarded itself as its own sovereign indigenous country, Comala.
The experience is meant to be transportive and nostalgic. To do this, we needed to have the personnel in place to be able to offer the most ambitious Mexico-forward cocktail menu to go along with it. Every drink here is made with relentless intentionality. Each accompanied by an origin story within a program led by passionate cocktail & Mexican culture obsessed individuals. This isn't a Mezcaleria or a Cantina. This isn't that 'new Portland' vibe nor a 'faux' historic spirit bar. We don't have big brand mezcales or anything made with diffusers.