Botafogo

A trendy bar located in historic Moscow salt cellars, inspired by a trip to Brazil.

Botafogo is a bar situated in the old salt cellars of Moscow, inspired by a trip to Brazil undertaken by Denis Bobkov (co-owner of Pub Life Group and "Bureau of Findings"), Vitaly Bgantsev, and Victoria Konyukhova (the team behind the projects "Voda," Veladora, and "New Space"). "Botafogo" translates from Portuguese as "to ignite," and serves as a call to action: expect lively dancing and the rhythms of bossa nova and samba (both in their traditional form and with electronic elements), ice-cold cocktails made with cachaça and rum, and authentic Brazilian street food, relatively unknown in the world. It also refers to a dance step in samba and a beautiful neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro.

The "ignition" takes place in a small bar area and a long corridor (where cocktails are passed back and forth through a window grille), all within the vast network of salt cellars of a building located at Solyanka 1/2. The walls are adorned with a painting by a street artist from the Santa Teresa neighborhood in Rio, and old photographs of the city. Lamps, a carnival mask, tableware, and other small artifacts are treasures found at Brazilian flea markets.

Cachaça, a distilled spirit made from sugarcane and produced in Brazil, reigns supreme at the bar. It's the base for caipirinhas: the classic version, the "quatro citricos" with various citrus fruits, and a seasonal version with mango or pineapple. Be prepared for the flavor of the caipirinha to evolve as you drink it: it starts with the freshness of the cachaça and ends with the lingering citrus notes. Also on the menu is the "macunaima," made with cachaça, herbal Fernet bitter, and passion fruit; a version of the mojito with rum, coarse sugar, and a generous sprig of fresh mint; and a seasonal strawberry daiquiri. All cocktails are priced at 700 rubles.

Artem Mukhin (of Bambule, Black Swan pub, and Abbey Players) prepares snacks inspired by Brazilian street food. "Pastel" is a street food staple, similar to a cheburek, but filled with beef and olives and without any juice inside (450 rubles). A potato croquette with beef and botargo (cured fish roe) costs 200 rubles. A legendary sandwich from the São Paulo municipal market features a generous layer of grilled mortadella and melted cheese (700 rubles). A sandwich on a sweet bun with tongue, pickled cabbage, and mayonnaise is priced at 450 rubles. "Carne asada" is tender, shredded meat served with salty cottage cheese and sweet shallots (550 rubles). Lasagna with eggplant (400 rubles) is also available – simply because lasagna is very popular in São Paulo, and a hot lasagna is the perfect comfort food after cocktails and dancing. For those who prefer to avoid fried foods and meat, there are crispy salad leaves, pea pods, and a Caesar dressing with anchovies (250 rubles), or marinated pickles (150 rubles).