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You can order 10 different margaritas, a tequila-spiked rendition of a Clover Club, and whole barbecued dorade for the table at East Kensington<\/a>\u2019s newest bar.<\/p>\n Mixteca<\/a> \u2014 an agave-focused cocteler\u00eda from two James Beard Award-winning bartenders \u2014 opens at 2113 E. York St. today, breathing new life into the space formerly occupied by the acclaimed neighborhood bar Martha<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is Mixteca\u2019s second location. Founders Euclides \u201cVictor\u201d Lopez and Jeff Bell worked together for 15 years at the iconic New York City speakeasy Please Don\u2019t Tell<\/a> (better known as PDT) before opening the first Mixteca in the West Village last summer<\/a>. The bar is intended as a vibe-y ode to the tequilas and mezcals distilled<\/a> in Puebla, the Mexican state from which Lopez hails.<\/p>\n Mixteca \u2014 named after the artisan-rich region of central Mexico<\/a> \u2014 is as much a tribute to Lopez\u2019s heritage as it is an outgrowth of Lopez and Bell\u2019s relationship. Bell worked his way up at PDT from Lopez\u2019s barback<\/a> to lead bartender and eventually owner, after buying the speakeasy<\/a> and its brand from co-founder Brian Shebairo. <\/p>\n The duo were part of the team at PDT that won the inaugural James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar<\/a> in 2012, and also helped bring the bar \u2014 located behind a payphone inside an East Village hot dog joint \u2014 to Hong Kong<\/a>. All the while, Lopez held down consistent bartending shifts<\/a> four nights a week.<\/p>\n Lopez \u201cis one of the best cocktail makers I\u2019d ever worked with,\u201d Bell said. \u201cWe\u2019d play these games with him back in the day at PDT where we\u2019d make him a drink, and he\u2019d correctly guess the components.\u201d<\/p>\n In New York, Mixteca is a bar first, with an extensive drink list of inventive takes on classic cocktails prepared with Latin American flavors, like a tomatillo gin and tonic or a Negroni infused with palo santo<\/a>, a wood used for spiritual cleansing across Latin America. In lieu of a full food menu, Lopez and Bell partnered with Los Angeles-based Tacos 1986<\/a> to serve a handful of tacos and quesadillas.<\/p>\n Mixteca in Philly, meanwhile, is equal parts bar and restaurant, with a full-fledged food menu of Poblano-inspired share plates and nearly double the number of cocktails. The space seats 100 people across its airy, bench-lined main dining room, dimly lit mezzanine, and large patio outfitted with string lights and rainbow-colored chairs. The restaurant has an eye-catching centerpiece: a large arch over the center bar made of intricate ceramic Talavera tiles<\/a> imported from Puebla. They almost create a halo over the shelves upon shelves of alcohol.<\/p>\n Lopez and Bell said they have been enthralled with Philly since 2011, when they attended a gin symposium in the city and drank their way through Rittenhouse Square at Franklin Mortgage<\/a>, the Ranstead Room<\/a>, and David Suros\u2019 agave-focused restaurant Tequilas<\/a>. Neither was looking to open another bar until they toured the old Martha space after a deal with the New York City-based Filipino restaurant Pig & Khao<\/a> fell through<\/a>. (Pig & Khao and Mixteca are financially backed by the same investment firm, Apres Cru Hospitality<\/a>.)<\/p>\n \u201cThe high ceilings, the exterior, the energy of the neighborhood … it was perfect,\u201d Bell said. \u201cThere\u2019s a chaos to New York that can be exhausting, and I don\u2019t see that in Philly.\u201d <\/p>\n Lopez needed even less convincing: \u201cI told Jeff, \u2018I\u2019ll probably move to Philly because I love it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Classic cocktails with an agave twist<\/p>\n Mixteca\u2019s Philly menu uses the New York location\u2019s as a starting point for an array of drinks that draw deep on mezcal and tequila.<\/p>\n The restaurant has the same house margaritas on the menu \u2014 classic, made with Cointreau; and spicy, made with wasabi, cucumber, and hot honey \u2014 plus seven new flavored options, such as guava and blackberry, made with fruit juice. <\/p>\n The Philly location\u2019s 18 signature cocktails include classics like rye whiskey Manhattans and espresso martinis as well as agave-centric counterparts, like the aptly named Puebla York (made with reposado tequila, mezcal, Cynar amaro, and cassis) and a cold brew carajillo, the popular Mexican cocktail<\/a> made with tequila and vanilla-forward Licor 43.<\/p>\n Lopez also created versions of two timeless local cocktails: a mellower, peach-infused Fish House Punch<\/a> that swaps brandy for reposado and Oaxacan rum, and a foamy raspberry Clover Club<\/a> that uses white tequila instead of gin. Both go down easy. <\/p>\n Though no executive chef heads up Mixteca\u2019s kitchen in Philadelphia, the food menu got the stamp of approval from Lopez, who said the flavors were \u201cthe closest\u201d to what he grew up eating as a kid in Mexico. Highlights include a bright hamachi and yellowtail ceviche; steak, mushroom, and chicken tacos served on made-to-order corn tortillas; and a whole dorade asado designed for sharing. Served with warm tortillas, white salsa, and a crisp tomato-cucumber salad, the fish sits at the center of a table like a prized catch of the day. <\/p>\n Lopez and Bell aren\u2019t looking to outshine the neighborhood\u2019s already-busy bar scene. Mixteca is blocks away from the Madrid-inspired Bar ILU<\/a> and industry favorite gastropub Meetinghouse<\/a>. It\u2019s also around the corner from East Kensington standbys Philadelphia Brewing Co<\/a>. and Atlantis: the Lost Bar<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re showing up to a party that\u2019s already happening. We\u2019re not the hosts,\u201d said Bell. \u201cWe want to ingratiate ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n