“I’m persistent. Sometimes anxious. But I want to take a bite out of the world.” That is how Camilo Solano introduces himself. Born in Colombia and now at the helm of El Sindicato, a neighborhood bar in Santiago – Chile – he works the room in a black skirt and knee-high socks, drifting between bar and tables, talking music and drinks with guests — the two obsessions that anchor his nights. “When I first arrived in Chile, the city received me generously,” he says. “Over the years it has changed. There is far better access to quality ingredients for mixing now, and an international crowd that Chile embraces with surprising ease.”
Camilo Solano’s Journey
Before hospitality, Solano worked in market research. Then came an evening job on the floor. The Gin & Tonic boom pulled him behind the stick. “I was the barback. That was my first real entry into mixology, and I was hooked immediately.” Training followed, along with time in hotels and restaurants, sharpening his technical foundation until the pandemic forced a reset.
El Sindicato by Camilo Solano: From Delivery to Cocktail Bar
El Sindicato began as a delivery project: Singapore Slings, Margaritas, Negronis, White Negronis — classics built for transport. When doors reopened, the concept shifted shape. “A year later I was hosting pop-ups on the second floor of a restaurant. We started as two people. Then it was just me — admin in the morning, suppliers at noon, prep in the afternoon, service at night. I was the DJ, the cashier, the host, the bartender.” That pace forged the bar’s philosophy: ‘we do it our way’. “There was no time for elaborate garnishes. And the real value is in the glass. So the service became stripped down, direct.”
Classics and the Culture of Mindful Drinking
Classicism remains the backbone. “If you order a Daiquiri, you get a Daiquiri — properly balanced, by the book.” The menu, though, nudges guests forward. “We want to guide people. This is a place where you learn how to drink.” He knows the local palate well. “Chilean guests lean sweet. Over time we’ve adjusted that center of gravity, without alienating anyone.” One emblematic drink is El Santo: tequila with totopos (corn chips), chipotle cordial, tomato water, lime and a touch of triple sec — structurally a Margarita, flavor-wise closer to chilaquiles (fried tortillas).
El Sindicato and Santiago’s Mixology Community
The bar doubles as an industry clubhouse, open late, filled with colleagues, part of a collaborative network that includes Safari Cocktail, a collective effort to bring wider attention to Santiago’s scene. If it were a track, Camilo Solano says, El Sindicato would be Know Your Enemy by Rage Against the Machine. “There is protest in it. This place fought for its spot in Santiago’s mixology landscape.” And if you ask why you should stop in, he smiles: “To see my face when someone requests reggaeton.”
The article first appeared on Coqtail – for fine drinkers. Order your copy here
Photo by Emanuel Florentin and courtesy Safari Cocktail – all rights reserved
