Bolivian Pop-Up Bar Bringing New Cocktails To Ambar In Clarendon

ARLINGTON, VA — A Bolivian cocktail lounge pop-up will have a five-day limited run in Arlington starting on Sunday, Aug. 7.

The Casa Kantuta pop-up is the idea of siblings Carla and Juan Sanchez, who will bring the experience of growing up in La Paz, Bolivia to Arlington. They immigrated to the United States from Bolivia in the 1990s.

Casa Kantuta pop-up will be in the lower level of the Ambar restaurant in Clarendon at 2901 Wilson Blvd. on Aug. 7 from 8 p.m. until closing, on Aug. 10-12 from 6 p.m. until closing, and on Aug. 14 from 6 p.m. until closing. The lower level space at Ambar was previously known as Baba Cocktail Bar.

“The decor and design of their bottom level very much matched ours as a lot of our pop-up aesthetic is inspired by our own abuela,” Carla Sanchez said in a statement. "We are grateful to be hosted by Ambar and love that their concept, similar to our own, also honors their culture and ancestors."

On those five days that Casa Kantuta is open, when entering the lounge, Luis Aliaga, Casa Kantuta’s bar director, will serve one of their signature cocktails from last summer, the Angry Llama. The Angry llama is made of Blanco Tequila Mijenta, with hints of celery, pineapple and lime, with the Bolivian national spirit, Singani, and llajua, a traditional spicy Bolivian sauce.

Three new cocktails will join the line-up, along with Bolivian wine. Ambar will provide a bar food menu that complements the four signature cocktails at Casa Kantuta.

The soundtrack for Casa Kantuta is a mix of music that inspires Juan and Carla: 90s hip-hop and R&B, a nod to the siblings’ first few years in the United States, Bolivian music, Reggaeton and Cumbia Villera, a subgenre of Cumbia.