Jardín, the pastel bar that unites the world of cocktails with desserts

Of the many tasting dinners Karla Palacio and Wilman Corredor held together as partners and friends, the moment of pairing dessert created a feeling of emptiness and simultaneously sparked creativity and a world of possibilities. How crazy could it be to pair a cake with a cocktail?

Their answer was a resounding yes to the union of those two worlds. Karla would contribute everything related to pastry and baking, and Wilman would put his cocktail knowledge to work for the project that was just starting to take shape. Thus, Jardín, Tragos y Pasteles was born.

“We thought that, if there's a pairing of savory food with cocktails, then dessert could also be paired with a drink. We felt that the world of sweetness and alcohol go hand in hand. And that's what we're betting on at Jardín. It's not a proposal in which the cocktail competes with the dessert or vice versa, but rather a very beautiful pairing and harmony when done right,” Karla, a pastry chef at Mariano Moreno with experience at Les Amis and El Chato, tells EL TIEMPO.

We thought that, if there's a way to pair savory food with cocktails, dessert could also be paired with a drink. We felt that the world of sweetness and alcohol go hand in hand. And that's what we're betting on at Jardín. It's not a proposal in which the cocktail competes with the dessert or vice versa, but rather a very beautiful pairing and harmony when done right.

In December 2022, Jardín opened its doors with the concept of a pastel bar, bringing a disruptive and unique approach to the city's gastronomic scene. And almost a year after its opening, in January 2024, 50 Best Discovery included Jardín on its list.

“Jardín, Drinks, and Pastries is a charming retreat from the worries of the outside world. With an ambiance that leans more toward a relaxed café than a bar and a spacious, light-filled garden patio, this setting creates a relaxing atmosphere for brunch, lunch, exceptional desserts, and good conversation,” reads the listing’s description of this pastel bar.

Therefore, before discussing the menu and tasting menu, it is necessary to describe the location that houses Jardín.

A narrow passageway, filled with plants and vintage objects, including an old, dead television, leads to the backyard of an English-style house where Jardín coexists with a bonsai nursery in Chapinero Alto . At first glance, the place might look like a nursery, but it isn't.

Jardín is a garden, surrounded by lush vegetation, with an indoor space next to the bar and kitchen, and an outdoor space where plants take center stage. That's why the 50 Best Discovery describes this pastel bar as "a refuge from worries" and the sometimes hostile architecture of Bogotá.

Design and aesthetics are also part of the concept of this pastel bar. White tiles, steel furniture in bright earth tones, old objects like a rotary phone, round vases, and hanging lamps create a unique atmosphere that fosters nostalgia and conversation in a relaxed setting unique in the city.

Furthermore, in Jardín they have so appropriated the concept of their name that not only are they surrounded by hanging plants, with large foliage, but the entire staff wears overalls to align with that narrative that their creators built .

After conceptualizing the name and location, the next step was to develop the menu. That's why they call it "the delights of the Garden," like Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights , where the Dutch painter depicted paradise, lust, and sin.

At Karla and Wilman's Garden, you experience these three states in one place. "Garden is a place where you come to be happy, to enjoy yourself, to sin, to have a good time. We're not interested in diets. Here you find sugar, dairy, fat. If you have a day to sin, let it be here," says Karla.

In its early days, Jardín offered pairings with a slice of cake and a 120-milliliter cocktail. “It was an attractive offering, but people left feeling harassed and a little tipsy,” Karla recalls. They refined the menu and now offer a four-course menu with desserts eaten in three spoonfuls and cocktails sipped in three.

"Now the idea is much more understandable; you're not going to get drunk or harassed. And when you make the pairing, you really realize that the dessert complements the cocktail or the cocktail complements the dessert," says Karla.

For anyone unfamiliar with this type of pairing, the first thought that comes to mind is why unite two sweet worlds. However, at Jardín , they use the same theory to pair savory cuisine in their proposal, which is one of simile or contrast.

"If we know a dessert is very sweet, with caramel or chocolate notes, we'll look for a cocktail that contrasts with that sweetness, so that there's a real pairing. We can't serve a sweet dessert with a sweet cocktail because there won't be a pairing . You'll end up getting bored and not eating it," Karla explains.

The latest menu, launched in late March, features a strawberry and cream cake, a peach and mascarpone cream millefeuille, a plum dessert with treacle toffee, and a lavender and coconut tres leches. Each of these is paired, respectively, with the following cocktails: Siempreviva, with gin, herbal cordial, feijoa distillate, and fruit water; Oleoso, with gin, sun-dried syrup, and white wine; Leñoso, with Bacardi, floral tea, and peach extract; and Chypre, with whiskey, pomegranate ferment, and basil soda.

Karla's creative process takes about three months, during which she embarks on a journey of flavors, ideas, and concepts, seeking to bring to the table desserts and pastries that appeal to memories and wink at the heart.

For example, the previous menu featured a strawberry and meringue cake, a combination reminiscent of road trips; or a croissant and salted caramel dessert, inspired by the pan y almojábana cake, a common dessert on grandmothers' tables.

From the new menu, Karla highlights the plum dessert, a product that echoes the wine-soaked cake served at first communions and weddings, which she didn't much like . In her proposal, inspired by a sticky toffee pudding , she wanted to give it a twist and elevate the plums to transform them into a rich and memorable dish.

“I define Jardín's pastry shop as one that takes you back to your childhood and fond memories, because I like to make pastries with flavors that people know or have once encountered or encountered, because I feel that this makes you connect more with the pastry shop,” Karla explains.

I define Jardín's pastry shop as one that takes you back to your childhood and fond memories, because I like to make pastries with flavors that people know or that they once had some approach or contact with, because I feel that this way you connect more with the pastry shop.

In addition to the tasting menu, the menu also includes other elaborate desserts, such as croissant cake, flan, and ode to strawberries, as well as showcase pastries, such as chocolate cake, Black Forest cake, a lemon cake, and a lemon and blueberry pudding.

Although many of these desserts aren't on the tasting menu, the team offers pairing options. For example, for the chocolate cake, they suggest the classic Negroni to balance the sweetness; and for the lemon cake, they pair the Leñoso cocktail with the plum dessert.

There are a total of 12 signature cocktails, created by Wilman, which are always on the menu and feature floral and herbal elements in their preparations. They also offer two non-alcoholic cocktails: a Fake Spritz, for which they create a fake vermouth, and the Fallen Tree, which mimics a piña colada but with a hint of cocoa powder.

Jardín also offers savory options, focusing on sandwiches and tartar sauces. Brunch is available every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Once a month, they invite a chef whose restaurant doesn't offer breakfast to their guests so they can try their favorite dish to start the day.