ILLUSTRATION
ROBERT G FRESSON
you’d be hard
pressed todescribe
Barcelona’scurrent
‘it’ baras forward
looking.With its
traditional tiles, hanging
curedmeatsandsmall
wooden tables, thedécoratBodega1900
(bodega1900.com)
isfirmly retro, thestyle
evoking thecornershops,or
bodegas,
ofa
centuryago,where thirsty localswouldhead
in theheatof the
afternoon for
aquickbiteanda
glassof something
refreshing. This
place isauthentically
oldschool, rightdown to the fact that the
drinksyou’ll findheremostlycontain
somethingyouprobably lastsaw inyour
gran’sboozecabinet…
Bodega1900 isa
vermuteria
,meaning
itspecialises invermouth, serving it the
traditionalway,
degrifo
(‘on tap’), straight
from thebarrel. Itsounds likeaniche
attraction,but rightnow, theCatalancapital
hasgonegagaenmasse for thisherby,
fortifiedwine.Avisit toVermuteriadelTano
(facebook.com/vermuteriatano)
shouldprove
ourpoint.Thisonce-sleepyGràcia
neighbourhoodspothasbeenserving the
spirit foryears, and ifyoupush through the
stickereddoor, you’ll see thatnothing’s
changed: there’snonewmanagementnor
snazzyrevamp, yet
whereyouused to
finda fewsolitary
drinkers, the
crowd isback
and loving the
vermouthwithasideofanchovies.
At theotherendof thespectrum is
Bormuth
(tinyurl.com/nmrxe22)
, next to the
MercatdelBorn,where theyactuallymake
theirownartisanvermouth for thehipster
crowd.PlayingBonoboon thehi-fiand
packed to thesideseverynightwithhot
young things, it looks likeashabby-chic
surf shack from theoutside,but theclassic,
rustic tapasandgreatdrinksare totally in
keepingwith thecity’s long-held tradition.
What’salsonotable is theway these
establishmentsarestarting toserve their
drinks.Youwon’tfind long listsof
ingredientsorprocesseson thecocktail
menu. Instead, it’sall about returning to
basics,withasmallwell-chosenselection.
Thispared-back ideal iscertainly
catchingon inBarcelona–not leastwith
another favouriteSpanish tipple.Boca
Grande
(bocagrande.cat)
has longbeen
famous for itsbible-sizedginmenu. Today,
it’shoned itsselection to just 14, each
representingadifferentflavourorstyle. The
focusonquality, andnotquantity, is thekind
of thingwe’d love toseeelsewhere too, as
it’soneof those rareexamplesofwhen less
ismostcertainlymore.
barchick.com
“Barcelona’sgonegaga forvermouth...”
Last seen in your gran’sdrinkscabinet, thisherby, fortifiedwine iswhat all cool
Catalansaredrinking right now, says
BarChick
“Theyactuallymake their
ownartisanvermouth for the
hipstercrowd”
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