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Grand Reopening Set for Oct. 30
For most people, a great night at a bar ends with a good drink and a story to tell. For Terry McMahan and Rob Pearson, a night at Elixir Mixology Bar four years ago turned into something more: a friendship with the bar’s mixologist, years of return visits — and eventually, ownership of the place itself.
Elixir opened in January 2021 — arriving in Puerto Vallarta in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — at Basilio Badillo 419 in the Zona Romántica. Founded by Elena Esquer Zolezzi and Laura Jaimes, the bar built a following among the city’s LGBTQ+ community, known for craft cocktails.
McMahan and Pearson’s connection to Elixir goes back about four years, when Pearson booked a mixology class for a group of eight friends and Zolezzi led it as their guide. The class happened to fall on her birthday. The two brought a cake and celebrated with her, and Elixir became one of their regular spots, one they kept introducing to friends over the years.
“We had already been looking for a project — something that would keep us busy, challenge us, and give us an opportunity to become even more involved in the community we love,” McMahan said.
So when they were approached about buying the bar, “there really wasn’t much hesitation. It was almost an immediate yes.”
“There’s something really special about taking over a place that already meant something to us personally,” McMahan said. “Elixir was part of our PV story before it became our business, and now we have the opportunity to help write its next chapter.”
McMahan, from Texas, and Pearson, from Colorado, met 31 years ago and have spent the past 29 years building a life together in Seattle.
Pearson is an engineer, bringing an analytical approach to budgeting, planning and operations, along with previous bartending experience.
McMahan spent more than a decade producing events across the United States and Europe before becoming a real estate broker in Seattle, work centered on managing expectations, solving problems and negotiating on clients’ behalf.
“Neither of us is approaching Elixir as simply a bar,” McMahan said. “We see it as a business built around hospitality — where the cocktails, music, atmosphere, events, team, finances and customer experience all have to work together.”
The two have been visiting Puerto Vallarta for more than 15 years, have owned a home in the city for four years, and became full-time residents this past June. They took over ownership of Elixir in July.
“We love PV because of the people, the culture and the sense of community that keeps growing every year,” McMahan said. “There’s a warmth here that’s hard to explain until you experience it — the way people welcome you, look out for each other and make you feel like you belong.”
The new owners are keeping the Elixir name.
“Traditionally, an elixir is a special potion or mixture believed to have magical, healing or transformative qualities,” McMahan said. “We love that idea because, in a way, that’s exactly what a great cocktail can be — a carefully crafted combination of ingredients that creates something completely unique, unexpected and memorable.”
Under the new ownership, the drink menu is staying the same, at least for now, and so is Elixir’s role in the community.
“Elixir has been a welcoming space for all members of the LGBTQ+ community for years,” the owners said.
What is changing is the look and the programming. The redesign leans into deep, moody colors, warm woods, soft amber lighting, greenery, celestial details and touches of gold, aiming for a space that blends the polish of a luxury cocktail bar with the intimacy of a speakeasy. Live music is planned several nights a week —the owners say they’re already in conversations with performers, aiming to bring together established and emerging artists — with a curated soundtrack of lo-fi, lounge, soul, ambient and downtempo music filling the rest of the week. The mixology classes that first brought McMahan and Pearson to Elixir are set to return, and the two are currently hiring a mixologist and bar manager to grow the team.
“A beautifully designed neighborhood cocktail bar where you can have a proper drink. Hear great music. Meet someone new. Bring an old friend. Sit comfortably. Talk. Laugh. Stay for another round,” McMahan said. “That’s the niche we hope Elixir fills.”
Elixir is set to reopen in early October, with a grand reopening planned for Oct. 30.
Contact Information
Elixir Mixology Bar
Website: elixirmixologybarpv.com
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592047461042
Instagram: elixirmixologybar.pv
Hiring inquiries: info@elixirmixologybarpv.com / WhatsApp 322 267 0148
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