Around the world with Alchemix
A food and cocktail tasting experience in Barcelona
I met Ignaciao Ussìa (Nacho) at the Vinexposium in Paris and he was mixing drinks at the Infinity bar. His restaurant and cocktail bar opened in 2018 in Barcelona and he invited me to discover his tasting menu, pairing imaginative dishes with mini cocktails. Nacho had travelled around the world and lived for five years in Thailand, so his menu and décor are inspired from his world travels.
Here I am Nacho, let’s go!
Raised in Normandy was a perfect oyster in an illuminated shell with ice, accompanied by three tubes of sauces that you can choose from, or mix your own sauce. Yuzu ponzu was my fave. The accompanying drink was a sparkling cava.
Bite in Valhalla was a seaweed bread with cold smoked salmon and pine marinated with beets with a mead and beer mustard sauce, served with trout roe and beet pickle mayo. It was served on a block of wood with a flaming rosemary sprig to underscore the smokiness. The drink was a little beetroot negroni.
The salmon is served on a piece of wood and a branch of pine is torched to add to the aroma
Beetroot negroni is poured with care
Bloody lobster were two cones filled with blue lobster and red prawn stuck into a bowl of mustard seeds, and bloody mary gelatin on a spoon. The photo shows a bloody mary drink, but my pairing was Arashi spirit was my favorite, served in a ceramic cup with sake, umeshu sansho pepper, egg white and ginger beer
Bloody lobster
Calcotada in Siam was sous-vide leeks finished on a grill with a lovely peanut satay-style sauce. The accompanying drink was a Hhao Niao Mamuang , a liquid version of sticky rice from Siam
From Barcelona to Bangkok was a brioche bread”bikini” sandwich with Iberian ham and sticky rice sauce to squeeze over it., the drink was a creamy White truffle Pisco Sour.
The creamy white truffle Pisco Sour tasted amazing!
XL Ravioli was next, the all gold fresh pasta stuffed with ricotta, Joselito ham, seasonal mushroom mix, gold foil and Porto Flip cocktail sauce, paired as a drink there was a little bottle of pumpkin lassi, a drink inspired from India with black rum infused with Chai yogurt, honey cardamom syrup and pumpkin puree.
Duck and Stormy was the last course, served in a half glass bottle, duck breast with a base of Williams pear compote and dark and stormy sauce poured over at tableside from a little cobbler shaker. The drink paired with it was 100% Pinot noir rosé wine macerated with lemon rind and rose petals.
Duck and stormy served in a glass half bottle. Sauce is poured from a cobbler.
The caprice of Willy Wonka was the dessert, a selection of five chocolatey bites in many consistencies. The finishing drink was Ramos Cheesecake a twist on the classic New Orleans cocktail Ramos Gin Fizz, adding a traditional cheesecake base to the mix.
It was fun to see how each course was presented and the food was delicious. The mini cocktails were so fun, and the portions let you try them all without getting hammered! Nacho, thanks for the tasty trip around the world! They’ve won numerous awards for the food and drinks--don’t miss it when you are in Barcelona!
Nacho, thanks for the trip around the world!
See you next time in Barcelona!
Website: Thealchemix.com
IG: the_alchemix