Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Wikimedia Commons
The news shook the hospitality industry like an energetically shaken Martini. Barflies all over the world nearly fell off their stools. Of the seven best bars in the world according to Drinks International magazine’s 50 Best annual ranking, one was in London, one in New York, one each in Paris and Mexico City. But the other three—including the overall winner—were in Barcelona.
There was surprise, but also incredulity. How was it possible that a Spanish seaside city better known as a consumer of cheap sparkling wine should have stormed the cocktail citadels of Mayfair and Manhattan? Doubters and cynics pointed to a curious coincidence: the awards ceremony on October 4th 2022, at which Barcelona crashed the top ten so spectacularly, happened to be held in… guess where? Barcelona.
It doesn’t do to take those league tables too seriously. Still, my curiosity was piqued. Barcelona’s sudden ascendancy as a cocktail capital seemed to merit a closer look, so I planned a reconnaissance trip. My three-day mission: to boldly go into the heart of the local cocktail scene, to ask whether it really stood up to the hype, and to learn something about modern mixology in the process.