Since opening a decade ago, this Cartagena de Indias spot known as one of the world's greatest party bars has been leading the way with its sustainable practices, community outreach and teamwork.
It's no easy feat to maintain hospitality standards at one bar, never mind three concepts housed under the same roof. But at Alquímico in Cartagena, hospitality starts from within, rolling out across each floor of the 120-year-old mansion.
"First and foremost, hospitality is a caring act," says Alquímico operations director Paola Oviedo. "I believe that has to start from within. Before thinking about how to welcome guests, we think about how we take care of our own team because you cannot offer genuine hospitality to someone for a few hours if you aren't practising it every day with the people working beside you."
Alquímico sits within a Republican-era mansion in Cartagena
The bar team is fundamental, and new members are appointed because they share the same values. "It's important they genuinely like people, and that they are doing what makes them happy. That's been key to building a lively, energetic, fun-yet-committed and sensitive team, because I believe that much of what our guests experience starts in the way we treat each other," Oviedo says.
Respect and gratitude are key to service, because the Alquímico team understands every person who walks through its doors is giving them something valuable: their time. "That guest thought of us, they chose us and they came to our home," Oviedo says. "That already means a lot that they chose to share this moment of their life with us."
But there are other vital components, she adds, such as structure, empathy and equality. "Guests are served as our equals because at the end of the day, we are all people and we don't want to have any barriers. We pay attention, observing and listening, and we try to anticipate what each person might need to feel comfortable and to enjoy themselves.
Paola Oviedo is the operations director of Alquímico
"We also believe that warmth and spontaneity need structure, so there are clear protocols that help us work better as a team while making the experience feel natural for guests. And by understanding that every person has their own personality, expectations, even down to the kind of day they might be having, we try to understand and adapt by serving them with empathy."
Of course, for a fun-loving bar whose essence is both Colombian and Caribbean, joy is a vital component. "We want people to have fun, to laugh and connect, and to enjoy the moment. For us, hospitality is also about creating a space where people can relax and simply have a good time," Oviedo adds.
Moving on up
Each of Alquímico's three floors is home to a separate concept and menu
With those cornerstones of hospitality in place, the challenge is then implementing them across the beautiful Republican mansion, located in Cartagena's Ciudad Amurallada, every night of the week. Each of Alquímico's three floors has its own identity, drinks menu and energy, meaning guests can experience the complete concept in a variety of ways.
"Each floor tells a different story through its cocktail menu, but all of them are also connected to projects that we care deeply about, socially or environmentally," says Oviedo. "I love the fact that guests can move through the building throughout the night and experience Alquímico's three different personalities. Start downstairs discovering signature cocktails, move to the first floor for an intimate, more classic moment, then finish the night dancing on the rooftop."
The ground floor is the heart of Alquímico, where an all-female bartending team elevates the party vibes with sincere smiles, effortless energy and delicious drinks like Mango, made with reposado tequila, mango vermouth, palm wine and hops. Any guest who has ever been here will likely have been captivated by them leading a spontaneous dance routine to champeta anthem 'Catalina'.
Most cocktails are created using ingredients grown at the bar's farm
"Our signature cocktail programme, which is inspired by Colombian ingredients, territories, producers and stories, has its home here," says Oviedo. "It's also special because the bar is led by an incredibly talented team of women. The atmosphere is lively and social, attracting guests who want to experience Alquímico's essence and discover our creative approach to Colombian cocktails".
Climb the staircase to the first-floor bar, a more intimate space that's a natural point for smaller groups, couples and or those who want to sit down and have a conversation. The most relaxed and cocktail-focused experience of the three, classic cocktails are reinterpreted through Colombian ingredients and flavours. Try the Alquímico take on a negroni made with gin, mead, Campari, blackberry, limoncello and wormwood.
Alquímico works closely with local producers to spotlight heritage Colombian produce
Then there's the rooftop, where the party really gets started. Highly dynamic with strong Caribbean spirit, this outdoor space bursts with exuberance, demanding movement and dirty dancing to the live reggaéton DJ: this is all about enjoying yourself with amigos new and old, sweating with every shape you throw and relishing the moment the giant fans offer brief respite. "Cocktails are still strongly connected to our philosophy of using Colombian ingredients, but the experience is more playful," says Oviedo. Sip on a Hibisco made with rum, ginger, hibiscus, red vermouth and falernum or a Coca with gin, passionfruit and toasted coca leaf soda.
For those who reach 2am, when a night at Alquímico concludes, their reward is a pot of steaming chicken soup. While that might sound like madness in a city where 90 per cent humidity is the norm, it's a delicious and welcome detail that makes the following morning a little easier to swallow.
An extension of hospitality
Alquímico's reputation as one of the world's great party bars precedes it, but hospitality also extends beyond its four walls, with each floor connected to social and environmental projects.
"The ground floor's Comunidad menu is connected to Asocoman, a farming community we support with water and educational projects," says Oviedo. "The first-floor menu, meanwhile, supports our Hospitality School, which opened this year, and was founded to give young people access to education, practical training and eventually employment opportunities. And the rooftop's menu is connected to our farm in the coffee region, using ingredients cultivated there while supporting a wider environmental goal: planting thousands of native trees and helping regenerate the ecosystem."
Continuing its support for local communities, Alquímico has opened a dedicated aid channel to assist those affected by the recent earthquake in Colombia. The initiative seeks to provide support to impacted individuals and communities as recovery efforts continue across the region.
The bar launched a fundraiser to support communities affected by devastating earthquake in 2026
Three different atmospheres telling the same story of Colombian hospitality, with fun, a conscience and a caring approach that starts with the team and is lovingly extended to its guests. Oviedo says, "We serve with sincerity and don't expect anything in return. Our greatest reward is a smile, knowing that someone felt cared for, had a great time or will take home a special memory of the night."
Alquímico is the winner of the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award 2026, as part of The World's 50 Best Bars. The full 1-50 list will be revealed from Milan on 7 October.
