Drink Lagos: Sabor
LALA: SABOR! Another spot I’ve wanted to go check out for a while. Shout out EDL for making me have to go to these places. As usual, Gbenga came in two hours late so I had a lot of time to take in the space and even order food.
GBENGA: Genius can’t be rushed!
LALA: I am a sucker for nice spaces and I LOVE Sabor. It’s a small space but they worked with it. The only thing I would have done differently is to add a bright color to the space just to give it an extra boost as they worked mostly with the navy blue and brown combination. The lighting is also perfect and YES I had my 10 minutes of selfie time.
GBENGA: I agree, the guys at Sabor really nailed it with this space. They offer "modern fusion cuisine", which to me is like a hybrid cross between a bistro and a restaurant.
LALA: It also yelled brunch and happy hour spot.
GBENGA: I found the Terrace area is the main attraction, it has a very intimate atmosphere to it and a rather serene view. My only fear about the Terrace area will be Lagos mosquitoes but alas, something must kill a man.
LALA: AGAIN AFTER WAITING OVER 2 HOURS FOR GBENGA (side eye) it was time to explore the cocktail menu.
GBENGA: Oya I’m sorry. The menu is designed like that of a bistro, simple and straightforward. I do not know if this is by design or they intend to change once they are fully operational but I like it as is. The drinks menu is categorized under the usual suspects: cocktail, wine, champagne, and mocktail.
L-R Barcode Fire, Peach Mule, Ol'Smoky G&T
Barcode Fire
LALA: My first glance at the menu and it seems a bit limited but then I also found it satisfying at the same time. The cocktail menu has really exciting mixes and you can choose between sweet, citrus, fruity and spicy cocktails. Our bartender for the day was Fabian and he gave us a lecture on the difference between “Fabian” and “Fabien”. Gbenga seemed really interested; I just wanted a cocktail.
GBENGA: Being a whiskey guy, I went with the Barcode Fire for my first order. It has whiskey, pineapple juice, and strawberry liqueur. I was curious to see how Fabian would get the balance between the pineapple and strawberry liqueur because if not mixed right, the citrus from the strawberry liqueur will dominant taste.
This wasn’t the case as they both blended really well together, so much so that at first sip you might think you’re having a pineapple juice. The Whisky is shy in this cocktail or so I initially thought but do not be deceived, half-way down you are immediately reminded of its presence.
LALA: The Barcode Fire wasn’t bad. However, I couldn’t taste the strawberry liqueur at all. It just seemed like a perfect mix of pineapple juice and whiskey and it worked.
GBENGA: The Barcode Fire will be the go-to cocktail for casual drinkers. It tastes really well and if you aren’t careful you might find yourself ordering more than one.
LALA: For my first order, I went with the Ol'Smoky G & T. It has gin, tonic, apricot liqueur, and whiskey. I know I say this about a couple of cocktails but I was really really excited about this mix.
Ol'Smoky G & T
The presentation also worked. It’s like ordering a long island or an old-fashioned, not too much with the presentation but more about the components of the cocktail. Tasted it and one-word “MINDFUCK”. I really expected certain components to stand out than others but I could taste everything. The gin, the tonic, the whiskey all hit me at the same time and when I swallowed, the apricot liqueur just lingered on my tongue and gave that sweet balance at the end. MY GOD! I was in booze heaven.
GBENGA: Lala’s face lit up when she tasted the Ol'Smoky G & T. like she just escaped from an AA group after being held against her will for weeks lol. This cocktail was STRONG, like Bruce Banner when he’s angry strong. Now the whiskey in this announces its presence from the jump, no hide and seek. The apricot liqueur takes several seats back while the Gin and Tonic fight for your attention.
All this creates the feeling Lala described earlier. It’s truly a remarkable drink. That said, I never thought I’ll live to see the day that Lala would run from a cocktail. Shocking lol
Peach Mule
LALA: Yeah it hit me. Don’t report it though. I’m a booze champion in these streets. For our final order, we ordered the Peach Mule. It has ginger, peach, vodka, and ginger beer.
It wouldn't have been my first choice wasn’t really into it when I looked at the menu as it just looked like too much ginger but Fabian insisted, and I’m glad he did.
On taking my first sip, all I tasted was the ginger and ginger beer but I decided to calm down and take another sip. I could taste the ginger beer, the ginger on its own, and then the vodka came in really subtly and to balance it out, the right amount of peach.
GBENGA: By now I think our tastes buds were confused hence why all we initially got was ginger. It got pretty cold inside so we decided to move to the Terrance, this was a blessing in disguise because by the time we got settled we were able to have a different experience with the Peach Mule.
This is a variation to the classic Moscow Mule but with peach as opposed to lime juice. On my second try, it wasn’t just the ginger anymore, the peach had settled in well with the vodka. Also, the extra-cool sensation stimulated by the copper mug gave me an overall icy vibe. Definitely a try for those that like experimenting
LALA: It’s a sweet cocktail but not the yucky and usual ice, sugar and alcohol sweet that Lagos bartenders tend to mix; it’s the perfect blend of sweet, citrus and spicy. I can say I definitely had “drinkgasms”.
GBENGA: We didn’t get any complimentary peanuts/chips to go with the drinks so maybe bring your own plantain chips when coming.
LALA: Overall, I loved the experience. I call it an experience because I loved the spot, the food, the cocktails and the staff were pretty cool too. They just need to add mimosas, a couple of creative shooters and a top brunch menu and they are good to go.
TL:DR
Good for: Boozy Brunch – Small Groups – Day Drinking - After Work Drinks
Food: Full Kitchen
Happy Hour: No | Bottle Service: Yes | Wine: Yes | Beer: No
DAMAGE
Barcode Fire - N3000
Ol' Smoky G & T - N2700
Peach Mule - N2800
Lala is the Founder and Head Consultant Marketing at Lala Alakija agency. She also runs a cocktail club, Eko Cocktail Club, which you should join if you are a lover of cocktails and you are interested in partaking in creative boozy experiences.