The 'boom' of cocktail bars in Madrid: the most desired drinks

• GASTRONOMY The Chinese in Plaza de España moves

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Madrid's vibrant night scene doesn't let up.

But cocktails are no longer just for the night: their creativity is present in the

, pairing succulent menus and even in the aperitif.

The capital has established itself as a benchmark for mixology worldwide along with London and New York.

Classic drinkers and new fans have come together in a few moments of cocktail effervescence that has its roots in

and that has now turned the Las Letras neighborhood into a must-see circuit.

In an increasingly competitive scene, the city has a drink for everyone.

Momus (Saint Bartholomew, 11)

Seven months after its opening,

's cocktail bar in Chueca already occupies a position on the

list , which highlights

best cocktail bars in Spain and Portugal.

A liquid

that seeks to value the know-how

in a place that invites you to use all your senses, because the surprise also enters through the eyes.

"We look for the extraction of flavor in a different way from the conventional way. All the syrups, roasts, molasses and even some distillates, such as incense gin or flower rum, we make ourselves with machinery and techniques that we deploy in the contrabarra and we use it live in front of the client", affirms Fernández, who shakes up and reinvents the classic mixology based on unexpected combinations, sarcasm and technique.

"Now that I'm a father, I've realized the things we forgot as adults, like seeing colors for the first time and the feeling that it gives you. To look at them is to see things again through the eyes of a child."

Children of Tomás (Plaza del Carmen)

The "coolest and most fun" space of the La Ancha Family, led by

, offers classic cocktails and live music in a hidden piano bar in the basement of the Thompson Hotel, one of the last five-star hotels to open in Madrid .

Redruello designs the gastronomic offer of the space offering simple and easy to taste dishes, perfect to accompany with any type of drink, which

, his bartender, recommends according to the tastes and personality of the client.

Wrapped in a traditional atmosphere with a hint of hooligan cockiness, a mixture of the secrecy of the Prohibition Law and the Madrid of the 50s, proposals such as Feeling Good (gin, cava, bay leaf)

(vodka, pacharán, blueberries, peach) or

(tequila, green chile, chartreuse, ginger, smoked salt).

Isa (Seville, 3)

Although the hotel barrier persists, whoever enters the Four Seasons cocktail bar will find an exciting experience.

Square ice cubes, unique containers and smoke, lots of smoke, are some of the master touches that

prints in a sophisticated

of Asian and Mediterranean inspiration.

In a seductive and mysterious environment, Pérez impregnates his personal and impeccable style in each drink, with a clear intention to revolutionize the city with "a new concept of cocktails never seen before".

Among his proposals, the

(Seedlip Garden, citric gazpacho water), the

(Seedlip Spice, shisho-matcha nitro cordial) or the

(Choya plum wine, lacto-fermented purple carrot, citrus).

Lovo (Echegaray, 20)

Every beast has its sensitive side and this "animal" establishment has

, an icon of freedom, as its muse.

She called herself a "demon", and that was how she was labeled in her native United States, where she fled to find her true expression.

Her life

to create a 16-drink menu that embraces a unique concept, an

divided into four periods that marked the life of her muse:

.

Milestones in her career such as

(in honor of her famous banana dress),

(a nod to her role as a spy during World War II) or

("I have two loves", in reference to his bisexuality) become cocktails.

The drinks are served in two well-differentiated spaces:

, on the upper floor, an environment with continuous sofas presided over by a square bar in the central part, and

, on the lower part, open-plan and with space to dance to the sound of the

that pays tribute to Baker late at night.

Glass by Sips (Carrera de San Jerónimo, 34)

The creators of the third best cocktail bar in the world,

and

, landed in Madrid last November at the Hotel Urban.

The innovative Drinkery House concept represents the first project of both in the capital, after the resounding success of their project in Barcelona, ​​Sips, recognized on a planetary scale by the prestigious ranking of The World's 50 Best Bars 2022. "Monotony does not go with Sips and we didn't doubt that there could be more in the world," says Álvarez.

It is the first time that he works in a hotel and he arrives from Barcelona with all the knowledge about him.

"We bring some classics [like

,

and

] and we come to give our expertise.

Even the music playlist is ours," he says.

Absent (San Leonardo, 3)

A few meters from the renovated Plaza de España, next to the largest Zara in the world, a small oasis emerges.

Its terrace covered by vines and dim lights evokes the south of Spain, while its interior transports you to the past: old books, chandeliers, velvety sofas, a fireplace, a 19th-century clock... A place designed by the Polish

, serves Cocktails in a short glass, inspired by another era, such as the

(cognac, triple sec, lemon) or the

(dry vermouth, green Chartreuse absinthe, maraschino, lime).

In his menu, with about twenty creations, he also looks at the present, in the case of the

, a variation of the

in homage to the war in Ukraine.

Le Speakeasy de Robuchon (Paseo de la Castellana, 12)

Inside the impressive Robuchon restaurant is Le Speakeasy, the most romantic concept of the establishment, a space "where the hours are lost in the night".

The idea arose from the 20s of the last century and represents the way in which drinks were ordered at that time, in an almost inaudible low tone (in English, speak easy).

And they enjoyed themselves in the same way: in silence.

With this proposal, Robuchon offers an elegant, private and warm space to join food lovers, designed by

.

The new menu, prepared together with the renowned mixologist

, consists of

in which surprising combinations with ingredients ranging from pear, green pepper or cocoa, to artichoke, cilantro or ham are explored

Café Barbieri (Ave Maria, 45)

Ana Belén Mojito

,

,

... "Our cocktail menu is almost a history book of Madrid", explains

, owner of the mythical establishment that opened its doors for the first time in 1902. Its walls were witnesses of the love affairs of

, to whom they dedicate a

and of the gatherings of

, who wears a

with his name.

"They are creations made in our bar that take their names from well-known characters and that have a historical and emotional link with the Lavapiés neighborhood and with the capital. They review the cocktail bar classics with our personal touch."

Salmon Guru (Echegaray, 21)

Many attribute the mixological

to the arrival of

, an Argentine by birth and a Madrid native by choice.

He doesn't even remember the years that he has been attached to the name of "fashionable bartender", but the praise hasn't accommodated him.

"The restlessness and non-conformity" have turned him into a giant behind the bar and his approach to the world of cocktails from multidisciplinary approaches ranging from a bartender to a scientist, from a perfumer to a psychologist, seems endless.

"If you have to do something, do it well so you don't repeat it twice, and wherever you are, always give your best, and if not, step aside," says the manager of Salmón Guru, bar number 15 in the ranking of the best in the world

.

Cabrera has opened a branch in Dubai and has been in charge of revitalizing

(Manuel Fernández y González, 7) and the experimental laboratory

(Echegaray, 14).

1862 Dry Bar

1862 is the date of the construction of the mansion that occupies its premises and the publication of the first cocktail book:

, where part of the

that appear in his menu come from.

The owner,

, respects tradition and likes to do things well, investigating the culture, history and tradition of cocktails, as can be seen in his

, a special menu with more elaborate and older cocktails, offered only to customers looking for something very specific and only when the place is quiet.

He likes strong drinks made in the United States before the arrival of Prohibition.

An engineer who worked as director of Human Resources and Quality in a consultancy, the 2009 crisis made him change his scene.

Thus was born, in May 2012, a loca with a subtle speakeasy feel (chandeliers, large mirrors, a cage on the ground floor), with creations such as the

(bourbon, sugar syrup, mint) or the

n (pisco, melon, manzanilla sherry, grapefruit bitters, rose water)

Angelita (From the Queen, 4)

The work of

and his team has earned them the award for

in the FIBAR awards, in addition to having been listed by the industry as one of the most sustainable cocktail bars in the world.

Title that they have earned thanks to their work without conventional instruments, using techniques oriented towards confectionery and haute cuisine (which Villalón has inherited from a long family tradition) such as carbonation, spherifications or obulatos and the use of innovative fermented products.

All of this together with the use of wild, 0 km or seasonal products for the preparation of the cocktails on the menu.

"What we are looking for is to generate a concept of identity. Just as there is a client who comes to the restaurant part of Angelita, where they have knowledge of the product, of the uses and customs to prepare the dishes, we do this same phenomenon in the cocktail bar,

making a cocktail bar with organic, seasonal and homemade products.

So there is this concept of identity so typical of gastronomy transferred to the cocktail bar", explains Villalón.

NuBel (Argumosa, 43)

The Argentine

Best Bartender in Spain 2021 in the World Class Competition and director of House of Mixology, (Téllez, 3) the most prestigious bartending school

Spain, dives into the origins of cocktails and his own experience and training to show his conception of cocktails, closely linked to gastronomy and, in this case, to art.

At NuBel, a restaurant in the Reina Sofía Museum, Inchaurraga and his team of

investigate the singularities and events that define the artistic avant-garde to extract their qualities and capture them in this cocktail menu.

In the so-called

is investigated

.

Thus, the

or the

delve into the use of color independently of the object;

the

and

, in the secret color code to arouse feelings and

and

seek to reflect the same vision of color purity as the painters of the early 20th century, using only natural products.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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