From left to right, Paola Velez, Pedro Tobar, Erik Bruner-Yang and Daniel Gonzalez pose for a photo outside the newly opened alley bar Providencia in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12. Moriah Ratner for NPR hide caption
toggle caption Moriah Ratner for NPRThe holiday season gives us a chance to put our own spin on traditions.
Whether you have a go-to family movie, or you're putting an international touch on your holiday feast, the drink menu should be no exception.
For this year's All Things Considered holiday cocktail interview, we visited a bar that brings its owners' personal stories to life.
Tucked away in an alley in Washington's H Street corridor, Providencia is the brainchild of several folks behind other popular restaurants in the District. The owners all have different backgrounds — ties to Taiwan, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador — and they've taken aspects of all of them to create a deeply personal feel and menu.
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"South American culture in general and Central America have a ton of Asian influence through trade, slavery and immigration … the presence of shared cultures, ingredients exists between the two," says chef Erik Bruner-Yang, who opened the bar with Paola Velez, and bartenders Daniel Gonzalez and Pedro Tobar.
Erik Bruner-Yang, co-owner of the newly opened alley bar Providencia, is pictured at the bar on Dec. 12. Moriah Ratner for NPR hide caption
toggle caption Moriah Ratner for NPRThe menu is a mix of Asian and Latin American flavors, making every drink a unique experience.
"You can use the same five things, but tell five different stories because there are so many shared things between all the cultures," Bruner-Yang says.
When we visited Providencia, Tobar and Gonzalez were behind the bar to mix some of their favorite drinks of the season.
"One of my favorite ones is the café de olla, because it holds a very dear memory with my grandma," Tobar says.
Getting its name from a traditional Mexican spiced-coffee, the drink is a dark, molasses-colored concoction topped with a thick layer of foam. It's made up of Salvadoran rum, horchata, cinnamon, coffee liqueur and instant café de olla, garnished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Daniel Gonzalez makes a café de olla at Providencia in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12. This alcoholic cocktail contains rum, coffee, sesame and horchata and is served with a piece of packaged Kopiko coffee candy. Moriah Ratner for NPR hide caption
toggle caption Moriah Ratner for NPRTobar says the cocktail was inspired by his memories of drinking coffee with his grandma.
"Every time I would drink coffee, she would give me a pastry. And the cocktail itself, it tastes just like you dipped a pastry in the coffee."
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The drink is served in a coupe glass, with a wrapped candy attached to the rim with a tiny clothespin.
