Derry's newest cocktail bar is already proving a popular venue and staff are determined to take this year by storm with their upstairs nightclub space.
The co-managers of Waterloo Place's Nacional de Cuba, Patrick Duddy and Nathan Casey, brought inspiration from the bars they saw on their individual travels to this new hotspot.
Both Patrick and Nathan previously worked in The Diplomat, where Nacional de Cuba now stands, and jumped at the chance to bring their plans to life.
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Speaking to MyDerry, the team are now preparing for the opening of Club21 in the upstairs space above Nacional de Cuba, due to launch on St Patrick's Day.
Nathan said: "I travelled throughout America, LA, Hawaii and got to see some of the best nightclubs and cocktail bars I’d ever seen so I wanted to bring some of that quality back here.
"We like to talk about the travels we have been on, from America and Europe and the different cultures we have seen. Coming back to Ireland you see a lot of the nightlife is similar and people are craving something different.
"It took a lot of brainstorming but we wanted to base the new space around high quality drinks and cocktails as well as our travels, the people we spoke to and the experiences we had."
Patrick said: "We are young but we don’t lack experience. But it was difficult getting the building sorted and renovated and transformed into Nacional de Cuba. We opened in Christmas week which was great timing, it just took off.
"Upstairs, in Club21, is going to be like something not seen before in the city. It will be an upmarket club space with some of the best entertainment in the city and beyond. Our calendar is completely booked out with Derry’s best DJ’s wanting to bring a club scene to the city."
Nacional de Cuba has been a hit since it has opened its doors, with the team enjoying a successful Jazz Night and planning more themed evenings.
Nathan said: "We take pride in changing the theme up, we do not want it to be the same thing every weekend. If people are coming out there could be a jazz night or a house night or disco, we are constantly changing and the jazz so far has gone down excellently, the atmosphere of drinking cocktails with jazz in the background is working really well.
"The venue is somewhere upmarket but still affordable with high quality drinks, high quality staff, where you can relax and get transported so you don’t feel like you’re in the city, or even in the country. You have jazz or Latin music and some fantastic drinks to pair it to create an atmosphere you haven’t had before."
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