Barcelona Cocktail Bars
Barcelona has more good cocktail bars than it knows what to do with. The cutting edge here is sharp, with creative bartenders competing on drinks and vibes and concepts. New places and old classics form a linchpin of the city’s no-brakes nightlife. Restaurants and tapas bars have gotten in on the action so you don’t have to get up from your dinner too fast. It’s not just rum and gin drinks, whiskey and amaro and tequila flow freely.
The bars listed here transcend fashion and serve the good stuff night after night. These aren’t the only cocktail bars in Barcelona, or necessarily the most famous, but for timeless classic concoctions this is where you might start.
Dry Martini
The grandfather of Barcelona cocktail bars, Dry Martini is pure class. Jacketed waiters, dark wood and chairs to melt into. The namesake Martini is iconic, but you can’t go wrong ordering any classic drink or one of the original creations. The outdoor terrace, a rarity among quality watering holes in the city, makes for great people-watching (and cigar smoking for some).
Ideal
Ideal’s unassuming exterior hides a connoisseur’s cocktail bar. The décor is right out of an English hunting lodge. Third generation owner and all-around bartending captain Josep will take good care of you, as he and his family have done since 1931. This has long been a haunt for Catalan writers and thinkers, and the warmth and privacy of Ideal makes it clear why. If you hit it on a night when the piano is in action with jazz and blues, all the better.
Boadas
The last vestige, it seems, of Barcelona’s radical days of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Boadas is a respite right off the crowded, very crowded Ramblas. Step inside (past the rope, and try not to look like trouble so that the bouncer-doorman lets you pass) and you’re in a small, joyfully nautical bar. Bartenders in mint-green jackets with fast hands crank out strong drinks for a thirsty clientele. Sit at the bar (no tables here) and order classics and classic-spirited novelties.
Tandem
A bar should have a good bar, and Tandem delivers: long, made of dark wood and jam-packed with bottles behind. This is for regulars and those who wish they were: no concept drinks, no menu. The smart bartenders can make anything, but are happiest when they’re riffing based on your taste. There’s an especially extensive whiskey selection, including very rare bottles.
Dr. Stravinsky
Among the high-concept bars in Barcelona, Dr. Stravinsky is the most interesting. The historic space features high ceilings and walls covered in jars and beakers filled with liquids. It’s not decoration: this is half bar, half alchemy lab. Original drinks feature tinctures, infusions, extractions made in-house. Luckily, despite the flavor maps, what’s in the glass is serious. Expect to wait in line.
Hemingway
A tiny spot in a half-basement, Hemingway serves a hip set looking for something different. Drinks are original, as are presentations: one drink might come in a beaker, another in a shell. Luckily, the bartenders’ ideas are good and the intimate environment means you can see all the action.
Negroni
The deepest den on alternative nightlife street Joaquín Costa, Negroni draws the savvy and the bold. Black decoration, low light and spare decoration should give you the idea: Negroni is about the drinks and the company, not the photo. The bartenders here are superb, whipping up drinks based on just a few words and vibes, as there is no menu. The Negroni and its cousins are specialties (shocking!), and classic-inspired things bitter, savory and very strong.