At a glance
- Ideal for:
- elegant date night, special occasion, tapas with friends
- Accessibility:
- Small parking lot behind the establishment. Paid parking lots are available in the area.
- Prices:
- Cocktails average $15; dishes range from $13 to $36.
- Atmosphere:
- Ages 23 and up. Noise, late-night music and low lighting
Aurora in Santurce is what happens when a biologist from Jayuya designs a cocktail menu with the intention of awakening the senses and sparking conversation in an elegant, modern setting.
The gastrobar is marking one year on calle Cerra, offering an alternative to chinchorreo (hopping between chinchorros) or casual hangouts, combining creative cocktails and shareable tapas.
"We want to offer sensory experiences that are unique," says Aurora's executive mixologist, Derek Champlin Ayala, 29. A biologist by training, he describes the place as "fun and classy."
The cocktails
Each week, Champlin Ayala turns Aurora's bar into his personal laboratory, combining techniques, experiences and flavors to offer a menu of 12 signature cocktails and eight classic cocktails with a twist.
The cocktail selection can be explored through a creative, printed menu — not another QR code — where each cocktail is presented with a diagram of its contents.
"The idea for the menu was for it to be interactive, for you as a customer to play with it. Each cocktail has two pages: on one you have all the information, from the flavors you'll find to the alcohol level and the story behind the cocktail, and on the other side you have a graphic representation of our cocktail with the ingredients," Champlin Ayala explains.
Aurora's mixology team also includes Christine Coimbre, Jean Audinot, Sebastián Nájeraurriola and William J. Rivera.
The experience
Not just anyone can walk into Aurora: it only admits guests 23 and older and has a dress code that prohibits caps, shorts and flip-flops. The space is better suited to those looking for an upscale bar for an intimate date, a special occasion, or an evening of sharing food with friends.
"We want to hang out, we want to drink, we want to share. It's a place where you can do it all. You can come a little earlier, eat, and then the music gradually picks up and the lights go down. At first it's more of a seated scene, then more people come in, some are standing, it gets a little more lively," Champlin Ayala says about the atmosphere.
Accessibility. Located at avenida Fernández Juncos #1000, Aurora has a small parking lot behind the building with limited spaces. If there's no room, there are paid parking lots in the area.
To enter the gastrobar, which is on the second floor, you'll need to climb a staircase to reach the two lounge-style rooms designed by Fernando J. Irizarry, each with a bar and both high and low tables. Note that there is no elevator.
Food. The menu is led by chef Christian Navarro. The dishes are small plates meant for sharing, ranging from tuna ceviche and fried octopus to scallops (scallops) and beef toasts. They also offer truffle fries and pork belly.
Prices. Cocktails range from $13 to $17, and each tapas dish ranges from $13 to $36.
Service. Each cocktail and each dish is served with attention to detail, which takes time.
The 3 cocktails mixologist Derek Champlin recommends
Champlin Ayala's personal favorite is Ocaso (pictured on the cover), an intense, elegant cocktail inspired by the Black Manhattan, combining Woodford Rye whiskey, Cardenal Mendoza sherry brandy and Amaro Siciliano herbal liqueur, with black walnut bitters and a salted mascarpone and nutmeg cream.
That said, the mixologist says these are the ones guests at Aurora tend to prefer:
1. Key Lime Pie
A traditional dessert turned cocktail. It takes more than 24 hours to prepare, combining a Tito's vodka infusion with Graham cracker, Amaretto Disaronno and white cacao cream liqueur, along with milk, vanilla and lime. Everything goes through a clarification process to achieve a transparent appearance with a silky texture. It is served with a meringue and lime zest.
A tip: "The idea is that you drink it however you like. I like to take a bitecito (small bite of the meringue), drink the cocktail and, at the end, the treat (the rest of the meringue)," says Champlin Ayala.
2. El Huerto
Inspired by his hometown of Jayuya, el Pueblo del Tomate, this refreshing cocktail combines Bahnez mezcal, cucumber cordial, St. Germain liqueur and lime juice with tomato in three forms: tomato water with fennel air (a kind of foam on top of the cocktail), drops of tomato brine (a salt-saturated water solution) for a vinegary touch, and a pickled cherry tomato.
"It's very light, very umami, not savory (salty), but not heavy like a Bloody Mary. It looks like a mezcalita with little bubbles on top, and at the bottom you see the red, people think it's a cherry, but it's a pickled little tomato," the mixologist explains.
3. Rocío de la Mañana
This is a more floral cocktail, combining Ketel One vodka washed with ricotta, lychee liqueur, Italian white aperitif wine, rose and raspberry syrup and citric acid, all carbonated with CO2 (bubbles) and topped with an "edible aura," a sugared disc with edible flowers.
"We make it force carbonated, so it tastes like a soda, it comes out super bubbly. It has a lot of bubbles, a lot of effervescence," a kind of refreshing drink for the tropical heat, according to Champlin Ayala.
Cover photo: Derek Champlin Ayala, executive mixologist at Aurora and creator of the cocktail menu. In the image, he prepares Ocaso. (Provided)
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
