#74 | Sins of Sal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Last Visit: Winter 2025
We are back with more openings of the last few years from Amsterdam that caught the attention of the bar world (and already a respectable line-up of guest shifts, our favorite Barro Negro among them). After Advocatuur we are now looking at Sins of Sal, a playful and fun journey with a focus on Central and South American flavors.
Easy enough to find, Sins of Sal is not a speakeasy, but the dark, red-tinted interiors speak more for it than the first impression from the outside. I recommend getting a reservation, especially if you want a spot at the bar, which is essentially just a small counter. Sins of Sal does a little bit of everything, drinks, bites, music, vibes. It doesn't even try to take itself too seriously and a somewhat laid-back 'guilty pleasures' motto drives the cocktails.
Copyright (first picture): Wheree
A lot of the drinks on the beautifully designed menu (think gothic horror meets B-List vampire movies set in Mexico) are focused on low ABV and catching your attention with its name in some cases more than the ingredients. There are obviously a lot of guests who will simply order a beer or wine or bartender's choice too and the menu accommodates that, also offering half portions of some drinks (very cool) and spicy or non-spicy versions (we are in the Netherlands after all).
A sour-style cocktail was the obvious choice for me, no surprise, as that would go well with the seafood and then a half-portion from the 'boozy' part of the menu and going for the recommendation of the team behind the bar, who were helpful whenever they could. There is a respectable selection of Mezcal, Tequila etc. a little hidden on the right side of the bar/kitchen-area. I like that they do not advertise it as such, and keep the concept open, so as to not overwhelm guests. To me this is a bar that benefits from a cool atmosphere and not communicating every single thing up-front.
Flip-Flop Margarita
| Nuclear Melon
| Hoja Santa
| Don Julio Blanco Tequila
A lot more culinary and straightforward spicy (I did go for the spicier version) than expected but still a bit overshadowed by the food. It is obvious that this is not a drink for pairing as i hoped, but something that would please a wider range of guests with subtle sweet melon and the fresh herbs on top underlining the flavor profile. A lot of technical work went into batching this, which tells you its flavor is an intentional choice rather than an actual lack of balance.
Dive Bar Old Fashioned
| Spent Orange & Cherry Wine
| Morita Aromatic Bitters
| Woodford Bourbon & Rye
If I had to pick a drink to highlight how 'strong', 'spirit-forward' cocktails for the World's 50 lists (should) taste, this would be a good choice. The product is indeed in the center, with well-rounded fruitiness in every direction, never straying too much from what you might read on the back of a bottle of Woodford. Funny then that it is less of a 'dive bar OF', and rather the modern archetype of 'how this whiskey should be served'.
With the food taking a prominent role, I ordered both a scallop tortilla and the ice cream bar as a dessert. The tortilla was alright, quite Dutch in its focus on the fresh seafood. Good bar food to have and something you don't find in most bar food lists, but not something you would seek out specifically just to eat for the evening. It reminded me of Kink in Berlin in that regard. The ice-cream bar was interesting conceptually and I spend the most time talking about it with the bartender. Their version of the Pornstar Martini, 'Adult Entertainment' is a milk punch and in the spirit of sustainability the remaining milk-mixture is further used to make the ice-cream. What this does is add a beautiful exotic note (from the passionfruit) to the cream, similar to grating lemon zest into it. I personally love the idea of using all parts of the clarification process and it could be used for so many more cocktails or desserts (one of such cocktails we recently tried at Dstrct.Art in Düsseldorf as well).
In a city that offers such a diverse range of bars, it's always tough to decide on just 2 or 3 favorite bars. What Sins of Sal does best is easy-going vibes with a nice design language, something for everyone, some cool new techniques for nerds including non-standard bar food and representing the well-connected kind of bar culture that has great chances to win awards.
Cheers,
/jf
Excerpts from the menu during the visit (click for original size):
