The perfect tonic
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, our secret drinks columnist
had to check out the hot ones in Barcelona…
B A R C H I C K
IT’S MIDNIGHT
in Barcelona’s hippest bar and head barman,
Alberto Pizarro, is making his signature cocktail. Working
speedily despite the din, he throws olive leaf, hibiscus,
Chartreuse and bitter lemon into an oversized balloon glass. So
far, so exotic, you might think, but the two main ingredients are
even more surprising – in an entirely different way.
The drink is called a Ginfonk and it is, essentially, a gin and
tonic, that tipple so beloved of the English home counties. Then
again, this bar is called Bobby Gin (
bobbygin.com
)
and there are
over 50 varieties of that spirit on the menu.
Forget cerveza or sangria, right now the Catalan capital is
in the midst of a love-in for this retro combination. Of course,
they do it with added flair – as we found recently while enjoying
brunch at Federal Café (
federalcafe.es
),
a three-storied space
with big open windows and a roof terrace with an easy breeze.
The crowd is hot, hip and hungry (no shock there), but it was to
our immense surprise that there was an entire G&T menu to flick
through as we munched on serrano ham and cheese croissant. It
was the start of a gin odyssey.
Spain actually has the largest gin market in Europe. They love
the stuff, drinking it first thing before dinner and last thing before
bed, adding flavourings such as orange peel, juniper berries and
cinnamon – and gin dens are popping up everywhere. Bar Pesca
Salada (
32
Calle Cera; tel: +34 686 265 309
)
was once a traditional
fish shop, but while it still rocks the style of its former life, with
lamps made out of old sardine cans and a fish-scale-esque roof,
instead of bacalhau, it now boasts an insane selection, including
one that comes with a hint of
pepino
(
cucumber).
It was damn good, but it wasn’t our favourite. That was to be
found at the Ohla Boutique Bar (
ohlahotel.com
).
Aromatised in a
decanter with tonka beans, peppercorn and chamomile flower,
then served with pink grapefruit and a lemongrass stick, the
Decantado is as perfect an expression of the cocktail as we’ve
ever tasted. And it’s
served up with serious
theatre by Guiseppe,
one of the finest and
most charming ‘tenders
you might hope to find.
In between the mesmerising preparation of the drink (which
included pouring tonic down a spoon into our frozen glass),
Guiseppe explained the fascination with the combo. “There’s
been an explosion of creativity among the Spanish bartenders.
It’s no longer a man’s drink, either, but also a favourite of women,
who love the ceremonial preparation as much as the drink.” Now
there’s something us BarChicks can agree with.
barchick.com
Women love
the ceremonial
preparation as much
as the drink
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V I E W P O I N T S
