La Otra In Aberdeen Named One Of Esquire's Best Bars In America 2024

ABERDEEN, NJ — La Otra, the tiny cocktail bar right next to buzzy-hot restaurant Lita on Rt. 34 in Aberdeen and owned by the same owners, was just named by Esquire as one of their best bars in America for 2024.

La Otra is owned by Lita owners Neilly Robinson and Chef David Viana, who also own the popular Heirloom Kitchen.

Here's the full list from Esquire: The Best Bars in America 2024

La Otra (meaning "the other") describes itself as "an intimate neighborhood cocktail bar," and they don't just serve classic Portguese/Spanish cocktails. Esquire writes in their entry:

"The bar next to Lita (one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants last year) is a destination in its own right — don’t let its proximity to a bowling alley and an ice cream parlor dissuade you. Whereas the drinks at Lita look at classics through an Iberian lens, at La Otra, beverage director Ricardo Rodriguez is a bit more free-wheeling. But like the best bars attached to restaurants, the drinks are on the culinary side, such as the Tzatziki, which uses vodka, aquavit, cucumber, dill, and yogurt, or the Nordic Old Fashioned, which made us a fan of smoked butter. What we loved: The Garden State Martini, which uses tomato water because: Jersey. —K.S."

La Otra describes itself as "an intimate neighborhood cocktail bar." Bar Manager Ricardo Rodriguez has developed a collection of globally inspired cocktails, veering away from the strictly Iberian inspiration driving the drinks program at Lita. Guests can swing by for a cocktail before dinner, or spend an evening just at La Otra. La Otra also offers cocktail classes created and taught by Ricardo.

Here is a sampling of the cocktails offered at La Otra:

• Side Piece | rose vermouth, salers, lime, orange bitters, maldon
• El Primo | funky rum, passionfruit, aperol, lime, coconut, coffee
• Pera y Queso | pisco, spiced pear brandy, bergamot, kefir, verjus, sheep’s cheese
• Silver Fox | gin, apricot, orgeat, lemon, egg white, soda
• Thai Negroni | rum, dry vermouth, luxardo bitter, coconut, lemongrass, ginger
• Viejo Verde | tequila, bitter bianco, cucumber, poblano, lime, yucateco verde
• Tzatziki | vodka, aquavit, cucumber, dill, yogurt
• Negroni de Andrea | mezcal, luxardo bitter, dry vermouth, cacao, chilies, sesame
• Garden State Martini | gin, manzanilla, tomato water, strawberry white balsamic, olive oil
• Nordic Old Fashioned | whisky, smoked butter, birch, bitters

Prior: James Beard Says Lita In Aberdeen Is The Best New Restaurant In New Jersey (January 2024)

Instagram: Bodega La Otra/a neighborhood cocktail bar/un bar de barrio