The concept for El Malo was born during a celebration at a small bar in Puerto Rico. The idea was simple: a rum bar – one that wasn’t Tiki-focused, but instead, highlighted rum in a more diverse light. Obviously, Tiki culture has helped keep rum relevant, but over the last several years, it’s just been pigeonholed into kitschy caricatures of its true potential. Rum is one of the most diverse spirits in the world, yet it’s mainly associated with fruity, syrupy, vacation cocktails. So our aim, like many other great bars around the world, was to give rum a stage for deeper expressions.
We do have a dual nature, however. While early evening is cocktail and date-focused – refined, intimate, worldly; by night, the BPMs kick up and our cocktail program plays accompaniment to the music. On any given night, we maintain a revolving carousel of DJs from all over the country to keep the vibes as dynamic as our back bar. Weaving a tapestry of genres, from House, Salsa, Hip-Hop, Disco, and Afrobeat, the night devolves into a potent blend of spirit and sound, carrying guests beyond inhibition and further into themselves with every passing hour.
