The fact that the inhabitants of Madrid are known as “cats” is a peculiarity that can easily be extrapolated to the very character of the city: the capital is, too, a nocturnal creature. This is evidenced by the popularity enjoyed by cocktail bars in Madrid, which boasts such iconic venues as the Museo Chicote. A popularity they have been (re)gaining today, largely because they have known how to read and adapt to new trends.
Gone are the days when the bars offering quality cocktails could be counted on one hand and when consumption was, for the most part, a nighttime affair: the “tardeo” has burst onto the scene in our vocabulary as a result of having first done so in our habits. In this new cocktail scene, ingredients such as innovation and each bartender’s personal touch take center stage—an area where Madrid has much to boast about: it is home to the 2021 World Class Best Bartender in Spain.
Some see it as an art; others, as a form of craftsmanship. And, to a greater or lesser extent, also as a discipline with a certain flair for the dramatic. Whatever the case may be, in this article we take a look at some of Madrid’s cocktail bars that, through their creations, position the capital as a key player on the mixology map.
Angelita
The basement of the Angelita restaurant is home to the Best Cocktail Bar in Spain 2021 according to Fibar, the most important trade fair in this sector in our country. In its six-year history, the cocktail bar led by Mario Villalón has won this award on two other occasions. Its artisanal cocktails, made with fresh seasonal ingredients sourced from its own garden in Litos (Zamora) —where, for example, the tomatoes for its celebrated Bloody Maryscome from —are a must-visit in a setting where standing out was no easy feat: on the same street are two other leading cocktail bars, Cock and Del Diego.
Isa
Isa is the Four Seasons Hotel Madrid’s speakeasy-style venue. The space combines different atmospheres that converge around an imposing circular bar.
Miguel Pérez leads an internationally award-winning signature cocktail bar, characterized by minimalist yet highly complex blends. The drink menu is enlivened by guest shifts featuring visiting bartenders and a selection of Japanese sakes and whiskies. If you can only order one cocktail, make it the Ice Ice Baby: fresh, fruity, and light—but it could also be a dessert.
The kitchen offers a reinterpretation of Asian street food using contemporary techniques. The menu ranges from a raw section featuring sashimi and sushi platters to grilled meats and fish, culminating in the “Journey Through Asia” tasting menu, plus seasonal specials.
1862 Dry Bar
1862 Dry Bar, with a classic look and a menu that focuses primarily on traditional cocktails—but without shying away from new creations—opened its doors in May 2012 in Malasaña. Its name is a double nod: to the year the building where it is located was constructed and to Jerry Thomas’s first recipe book, *How To Mix Drinks*, considered the father of modern mixology. For two consecutive years , its excellence has earned it a spot on *The World’s 50 Best Bars* list.
Salmón Gurú
Since its opening, the famous cocktail bar in the Barrio de las Letras has made headlines and brought joy to its founding team, led by renowned mixologist Diego Cabrera. Included on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars, Salmón Gurú has revamped its menu with 30 new creations, divided into six imaginative categories, featuring names like Salmo Salar (pictured) with Sip Smith gin, Konjac, lemon juice, and grapefruit soda. The new concoctions blend stories from India, Greece, Egypt, and Mexico. Completing the theatrical experience is an unusual mix of ingredients brimming with imagination, served in impossible handcrafted vessels.
Savas Cocktail Bar
Halfway between a traditional tavern and the most modern cocktail bar, Savas is a meeting place for hedonists and connoisseurs of fine drinks. There are few cocktail bars in Lavapiés; Savas is one of them. There are few cocktail bars with such competitive prices; Savas is one of them. To add to its prestige: according to journalist Ángeles Caballero, it is the best bar in Madrid.
Momus
A liquid theater and an ode to the Greek mythological god (Momus) who represents sarcasm—that’s how Alberto Fernández, Laura Perea, and Emilio Rodríguez define themselves. This cocktail bar in Chueca is something like haute cuisine applied to mixology: their modus operandi consists of revisiting and reimagining classic cocktails using techniques more typical of the kitchen than the bar.
An example? The Espresso Martini, made with a raspberry syrup that has been pressure-cooked for over six hours.
Bad Company 1920
Don’t like the era you were born into? In this life, there’s a solution for (almost) everything, and Bad Company 1920 works like a DeLorean. Back to the height of Prohibition and welcome to the chance to discover speakeasies (a type of clandestine business that originated in New York where alcohol was consumed: from the outside it looked like an unremarkable establishment, but inside it was a bar). Not surprisingly, the cocktails arrive in vessels that entice and invite you to imagine they’re anything: the Peaky Blinders’ beret or Lancelot’s projectile are good examples.
You’ll need a password to enter. Hint: they update it every month and announce it on their Instagram.
Santamaría
A Santamaría, opened in 2010 by Julio de la Torre, is defined by its hospitality. Its location also makes this cocktail bar in the Malasaña neighborhood unique, as it is a converted former brothel. Inside, the leather-topped wooden bar stands out, from which what are considered Madrid’s best gin and tonics are served .
Their menu revisits classic cocktails, adapting them to the 21st century, and complements them with signature creations, all meticulously crafted down to the last detail. Proof of this is the care with which they handle the blocks of crystal-clear ice they produce using a revived 19th-century technique. Santamaría is also known as “The Bar Next Door,” thanks to the restaurant La Tasquita de Enfrente, the establishment with which it shares a wall.
Del Diego Cocktail Bar
The creator of Del Diego Cocktail Bar is none other than Fernando del Diego, who became an internationally renowned bartender after honing his craft as an apprentice at Perico Chicote, the most famous cocktail bar in postwar Madrid. His disciple’s bar, open since 1992, is currently run by his two sons, David and Fernando. It boasts one of the most extensive menus, featuring every classic from the Dry Martini to the White Russian.
Elegance is the hallmark of Del Diego, which transports you to New York City with its cocktails and its venue, which has won several interior design awards, including one from the Madrid City Council.
Mezcaloteca Corazón Agavero
This mezcal bar embodies the tradition of Mexican spirits. Its owners, Wilmer Yajamín and Felicia Covone, brought this passion with them from Mexico, their native country, to the heart of Madrid. Now they bring to the city the best brands of over 300 Mexican spirits, such as mezcal, raicilla, and charanda. One of their goals is to move beyond the perception of tequila as just a shot drink, presenting it in cocktails to suit every taste.
The venue is the ideal spot for any enthusiast, as it offers experiences to help you learn to distinguish between different drinks. Additionally, they bring Mexican culture to their menu, where you can sample all kinds of traditional dishes.
Glass Bar
The third-best cocktail bar in the world in 2022 was Bar Sips , according to The World’s 50 Best Bars list ; fortunately, you no longer have to go to Barcelona to enjoy this exceptional bar. Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez, owners of the cocktail bar, opened a venue within Madrid’s Hotel Urban in late 2022 under the name Glass by Sip.
Inspired by the 1920s, this new landmark in Madrid’s cocktail scene serves some classics with experimental twists, such as the Negroni with ice that doesn’t melt, and other drinks you’ll only find here. Another example: the Primordial—whiskey with port and pear served in a glass shaped like clasped hands.
Jack’s Library
Jack’s Library is a speakeasy; what appears to be a bookstore with a suspiciously dim, warm light, filled with plants and candles, is actually one of the latest cocktail bar openings of 2022. Its founder, Murray MacDonald, a Scot who has been mixing drinks in Madrid for ten years, also runs the adjacent African-inspired cocktail bar, Ficus.
Bar Cock
A century of nightlife on the rocks in Madrid goes a long way. Even more so if your founders are named Emilio Saracho and Perico Chicote (another of the great names of Madrid’s nightlife). Since the 1920s, the imposing fireplace and soaring ceilings of this British-style temple have seen every celebrity who, at least once in their life, decided that Madrid was the best city in the world to experience the most improbable early mornings.
Dominguín, Mihura, Almodóvar, Dalí, Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Harrison Ford… Since then, El Cock has catered to its legendary and international clientele of intellectuals, politicians, movie stars, and art lovers with an infallible formula: a classic, understated cocktail bar, renowned for its impeccable gin and tonics, and the quintessential elegance of its bartenders.
