Opening Alert: Leyenda Lands on Smith Street With Tropical Cocktails and Latin Snacks

Leyenda, the Latin-leaning cocktail bar from Clover Club's Julie Reiner and her mentee, Ivy Mix, opens tonight in Carroll Gardens, a little ahead of schedule. The menu here is briefer than revered, book-length one at Clover Club, but at around 15 drinks, it's also not short. Mix is the lady in charge behind the bar here, and her cocktails make use of spirits from Central and South American regions. In other words, this is the place to go for fans of tequila, mezcal, rum, pisco, and cachaca, and related liquors. It's also just a good place for summer drinking – there's a backyard, and the menu includes some tropical numbers like the Tia Mia, a version of a mai tai made with mezcal, rum, lime, orgeat, and curacao.

There's food too, from former Suenos chef Sue Torres. To match the cocktails, the menu is Latin American, and made up mostly of bar snacks like coconut-habanero shrimp panuchos, Colombian papas rellenos, and bean and cheese-stuffed pupusas with chicharrones. Torres is the consulting chef here, so don't expect her to be in the kitchen all the time, but the menu is definitely her creation. Check back for both food and drink menus shortly.