El Eslabón Prendido — "the prendido link" — sits on Calle 53 in the Centro of Medellín, a few blocks from Salón Málaga. Where the older bar plays tango, El Eslabón plays salsa: vinyl exclusively, no requests, a working DJ who has been running the booth for over a decade. The bar opens around 7pm; the dance floor starts filling around 9.30pm and runs until 2am. The right way to understand El Eslabón is to understand how the dancers move through the night. Four basic steps, four nightly moments.
El Eslabón Prendido does not have a cocktail programme in any meaningful sense. The order is aguardiente by the half-bottle (around 25,000 pesos), Ron Medellín or Ron Viejo de Caldas (Colombia's standard rums) over ice, or beer. The bar takes cash, has a small cover charge after 10pm on weekends, and does not have a dress code beyond closed-toe shoes for the dance floor. Reservations are not taken.