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What is it?
A basement speakeasy specialising in Mezcal shots, cocktails and Mexican beer.
Where is it?
Halfway down Hackney Road, about a 15 minute walk from Old Street, underneath the Golden Grill kebab shop.
Opening times:
Tuesday-Sunday, 6pm-2:30am
Crowd:
Cool kids, chic geeks. Beards, check shirts and thick-rimmed glasses, aplenty.
Look:
A narrow basement room designed for fun. There's a vintage jukebox, full of '70s and '80s records from David Bowie, to The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed and Blondie. There's old cinema seats, a cosy 'lovers corner' decorated with Mexican porn mag covers and a retro DJ booth.
Booze:
Inspired by the Mezcalerias of Mexico City, currently spreading through New York, LA, Paris, Berlin and now London, Quiquiriqui has a wealth of Mezcal on offer behind the bar, such as the award winning ‘Los Siete Misterios’, ‘Mezcals Milagrito’ and ‘Del Maguey’. Mezcal is closest in taste to Tequila; but unlike Tequila, which can only be made from the blue agave plant and is mass-produced in the north of Mexico; the majority of Mezcal is derived from the espadin agave plant and comes from the southern Oaxaca region. It's also still produced using traditional, artisan techiques. 
The few we try are a lot smokier and more complex in flavour than Tequila, but just as firey! All measures are served with orange wedges and salt. There's also a range of frozen cocktails, including a Mezcal version of a Margarita and a flowery 'Parma Violeta', plus Mexican beer like Corona and Negra Modelo, which you can have in a bottle or 'Michelada' style, with lime juice, spices, and a salt rim (like a beery Bloody Mary basically).
How much?
The Mezcal comes in a shot glass measure, with prices ranging from about £4-10, which might sound expensive but the idea is to sip it and savour the taste, rather than neck it, as we Brits are so inclined to do. Cocktails are £8, beers are around £4.
Music:
There's plenty of classic tunes to choose from on the free jukebox and from late Thursday through to Sunday, DJs including Thomas Bullock (Rub n' Tug, NYC) and East London’s Solar Crew play an eclectic mix of disco, funk, old rock, modern Cumbia and vintage electro.
quiquiriqui.co.uk
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