The number of spaces dedicated to cocktails is growing in Barcelona, which for two years has also hosted the best bar in the world. To survive the endless list of addresses that lovers of good drinking should visit, we have devised a route. Although, due to a matter of space, many places have been left outside that are well worth a visit; such as Dry Martini, Doctor Stravinsky, Especiarium, Marlowe Bar, 14 de la Rosa, Two Smucks, The Alchemix, Foco, Obliqueo, El Ascensor, Galileo by Campari, Mariposa Negra, the Punch Room of the Barcelona Edition hotel, the Libertine of Casa Bonay , P41 at the Arts hotel or Banker's Bar at the Mandarin Oriental.
This October, the cocktail bar of the renowned Marc Álvarez and Simone Caporale was proclaimed the best bar in the world in the ranking of The World's 50 Best Bars. Since then, the wait to try their avant-garde creations is long, since every day they have more than 50 people crowded at the door before they open.
On their menu you will find twenty-six cocktails, some creative and others more classic, although slightly tweaked: from the Kripta, which arrives at the table in an imposing glass glass with aromatic herbs hanging from the casing to increase the olfactory experience; even Bubbles, one of his nicest drinks.
It was number one in the world in 2022 and this year it occupies fourth position in The World's 50 Best Bars. Even so, the cocktail bar hidden behind the refrigerator of a pastrami bar by Lito Baldovinos, Enric Rebordosa and Giacomo Giannoti continues to surprise with its creative cocktails. This season they focus on human evolution; That is why in their menu there are proposals such as On Fire, inspired by the mastery of fire, or Fleming, which pays tribute to the discovery of penicillin.
A classic that never goes out of style, even if it has just turned 90 years old! Opened in 1933 by Miguel Boadas, a Cuban who wanted to recreate a branch of his long-awaited Floridita in Barcelona, this iconic bar on the Rambla remains faithful to its essence; although in the last year it has changed hands, passing to those of the creators of Sips. In it you will not find avant-garde, but you will find some of the techniques that revolutionized the history of cocktails, such as the pouring that Miguel Boadas imported from Cuba to Europe; or those classic cocktails that were cutting-edge in other times, like Bambú.
If Paradiso is accessed through a discreet pastrami bar, Monk, the new cocktail bar from Baldovinos, Rebordosa and Giannoti in El Born, to make matters even worse, is accessed through a Pakistani grocery store. This bar, which has just turned one year old, is inspired by immersive art and the work of creators such as James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama and Dan Flavines. This prop, which even includes a disco inside a church in one of the rooms, accompanies a more sophisticated and perhaps less innovative cocktail proposal than is usually the case at the successful Paradiso, although also very interesting.
From success in Argentina to Born. Tato Giovannoni (designer of Florería Atlántico in Buenos Aires) and Diego Cabrera (of Madrid's Salmón Guru) landed in the middle of the year in Barcelona with a refined replica of the casual Buenos Aires establishment that has been on the list of the best bars for years. in the world (now number 30). In this place, which is divided into two spaces – the Brasero Atlántico upstairs, and the Florería Atlántico downstairs – you can try some of the cocktails that led the Argentine bartender to achieve success. Like the Negroni Balestrini, with the aromatic Apóstoles Gin that Giovannoni himself distills in a winery in Mendoza.
Antonio Naranjo (former Dr.Stravinsky and owner of the Especiarium cocktail bar), Adal Márquez and Edir Malpartida (both former Boadas) reopened at the end of last year this legendary establishment in the Raval, frequented by bohemians, lovers of the neighborhood and groups of university students . They decided to maintain its essence, but transformed their cocktail proposal, including in the new menu drinks such as Sol and Sombra, cocktails with brandy, pomades, etc., with the intention of reclaiming the traditional bar.
They come from another world, but the passion of interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán and designer Josep María Morera for cocktails has led them to open together, less than a year ago, Nuts, a place inspired by the classic bars of the great European capitals. . In it you will find antique pieces of art deco style, sophistication and jazz music. The cocktails are handled by Italian bartender Domenico Nicastro. Don't forget to try the Violets, with vodka, lime juice and violet essence.
The Lebanese Jad Ballout and Jade Ismail landed a few months ago in the Raval with a branch of their acclaimed Dead End Paradise, the Beirut cocktail bar that was rebuilt thanks to crowdfunding from the bar industry after the Electric Bing Sutt, the first Ballout location, will be completely destroyed by the devastating explosion that shook the port of the Lebanese capital in 2020. In their Barcelona branch they propose a cocktail proposal inspired by the cuisine of the country that hosts them. Surprising among the cocktails is the Pa amb Tòmaquet, which they prepare as if it were a variant of Bloody Mary and which tastes of umami.
