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The best cocktail bars in Barcelona

When you’re in the mood to sip on a tasty concoction, head to one of these spots for some of the best cocktails in Barcelona

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No one has ever gone thirsty in this city where vermuterías and cervecerías reign. But sometimes a night (or a day) calls for something a little different. When you hear this cocktail siren song, we’re here to help. From classy interiors swathed in ruby velvet to chic, modern spots, our list of the best cocktail bars in Barcelona will help you indulge any drink-related craving.

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best bars in Barcelona 

Negroni
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • El Raval

Negroni is a bar with a classic spirit and a contemporary look. The place is painted in an elegant black, which makes it quite different from the aged wood and pre-transition decor so common in older cocktail bars. Don’t look for a printed cocktail menu, just talk to one of the skilled mixologists for a minute and you’ll be treated to an unforgettable cocktail suited to your taste. In order not to betray their name, you’re guaranteed a Negroni cocktail that will curl your toes, and they also serve a delectable Moscow Mule and Whiskey Collins.

  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • El Raval
  • price 2 of 4

Set up in 1933 by Miguel Boadas, born to Catalan parents in Havana (where he became the first barman at the legendary La Floridita), this classic cocktail bar has changed little since Hemingway used to come here. In a move to deter the hordes of rubbernecking tourists, it has instituted a dress code.

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Caribbean Club
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • El Raval
  • price 2 of 4
  • Recommended

The ultra modern have taken over the city, and the cocktail industry has not emerged unscathed. Nowadays, it seems that if you don’t distill your own gin or serve bizarre concoctions in impossible vessels with stick-in-your-eye garnishes, you’re nobody in this business. That’s why it’s so comforting to head to this bar that looks like you’re stepping onto a boat, a creation by Juanjo González who happens to be one of Barcelona’s most charismatic barmen. A bit older and wiser after experiences at Boadas and Gotarda, González will serve you up a mojito full of nuances as well as any of an endless list of cocktails that make everything seem right in the world.

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera
  • price 2 of 4
  • Recommended

A mysterious light calls you from a hidden corner in the Born. Next to the entrance, an amber-coloured liquid falls, drop by drop, in a hypnotic process of cold infusion. This is one of the many processes they use at Dr. Stravinsky to create the drinks they serve. Dr. Stravinsky is the brainchild of Lito and Enric (who also run La Confiteria, Alegria, El Maravillas and El Paradiso), enthusiasts of well-concocted drinks, the likes of which had already been prepared on this spot, where once stood the legendary Bar Nus. The pair took the space over to keep it as a revered neighbourhood bar.They’ve swapped beers for shakers and made this a type of alchemist’s den full of fun and surprises – mirrors that reflect distorted images, Josefa who will bring you meals in Tupperware if you order in advance, flasks filled with water from the coastal town of Tamariu... The interior walls are lined with jars with herbs inside that are lit from behind and where they make their essential oils; the effect is lovely and like that of an ancient herbalist's. Upstairs are stills and flasks, creating the look of a vintage laboratory. The drinks menu is the result of the imagination of cocktail expert Antonio Naranjo: the Camp Nou, made with a syrup of dill, thyme and coriander, house-distilled gin, lime and camomile, has a freshness and flavour like nothing you’ve ever tried; the Suculento, with tequila and mezcal infused with coriander, and a syrup of lime and peppers, is a knockout.

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Esquerra de l’Eixample
  • price 2 of 4
  • Recommended
Welcome to this warm little corner of the city, where you'll find yourself surrounded by furniture made from ancient wood, and possibly more than a few clients boasting ties and lush moustaches. The great Josep Maria Gotarda is a real master in art and science of the cocktail. He dismembers the bottles, dissects the shaker, does whatever it takes to create the perfect concoction. Gotarda and his disciples whip up high-flying G&Ts and work miracles with traditional recipes. In fact, his cosmopolitan would make James Bond change religion, leave behind the liturgy of the dry martini and go out on the town with the ladies from 'Sex and the City'.
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Esquerra de l’Eixample
You don't mess with intrepid barman Javier de las Muelas. In fact, you don't mess with anything about this legendary cocktail bar that's internationally recognised as one of the best on the planet. They're very clever behind the bar, where the most complicated choreographies are staged, and all dedicated to the cocktail. Whatever you do, don't leave without trying the house concoction, the Dry Martini, which is unbeatable in Barcelona, and one of the most masterful creations of De las Muelas. Despite crowds and the barman's bark, Dry Martini continues to be a benchmark cocktail bar. And that, good readers, isn't just a cocktail bar. It's a church.
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • El Gòtic
  • Recommended
Pastrami Bar is pretty much what it sounds like, a sandwich place where you can get a mean pastrami, the likes of which you won't find anywhere else in Barcelona. But it also hides El Paradiso cocktail bar behind a secret fridge door. As for the Pastrami part, this is the first time that the Rooftop Smokehouse – a gastronomic collective headed up by English chef Buster Turner, who uses artisan smoking techniques in oak barrels – has had a place you can go without searching for their food truck as it pops up from time to time around town. What Pastrami Bar offers isn't much, but it's excellent, in that you're getting the only artisan pastrami in town, and you can also try the smoked cheese sandwich, and the grilled smoked cheese with caramelized shallots.On Thursdays they hang a whole grilled pig and sell it bite by bite. Turner is a chef of principles: you'll find no colas or wine, just craft beer that Turner makes every week. And bonus: they're open until nearly 3am. If you open the wooden fridge door, which takes up half a wall and gives itself away a bit thanks to its hinges, you'll be transported into El Paradiso – a speakeasy that's not just any cocktail bar. This is an elegant cave lined with wooden slats where Giacomo Gianotti was awarded best cocktail mixologist in Spain in 2014. But don't worry, their aim is to create signature cocktails at affordable prices, not to cater to the jet set.You'll find outrageous items like a re-distilled whiskey, where they separate the
Solange
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample
  • Recommended
Solange is run by the Pernías, a family of mixologists who are already well-known for their Tandem Cocktail Bar. Their newer venture is a a delightful golden space where vintage sofas, a stately wooden bar, liquid gold and exquisite decorating taste are the ingredients that go into making this such a superb cocktail bar. The Pernías have stuck with the classics when it comes to their concoctions: no modern ornaments, no exotic flowers sticking out of your glass to poke your eye out. After all, why change a back-to-the-basics approach that has kept clients coming to their establishments for years.
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Les Corts
  • Recommended
La Javanesa, which first opened its doors in September 2016, is a cocktail bar that the neighbourhood of Les Corts was waiting for. They serve true marvels of mixology, their own recipes and others that they've found in the temple of temples to cocktails, the Suffolk Arms in New York. For example, a Dispara y Apunta is made of mezcal, natural pineapple emulsified with five types of pepper and mead for 24 hours, and Bittermens: a smoky and spicy delight. Or a Costra, with origins dating back to 1850, made of brandy, triple sec, maraschino cherry with amaretto, lime juice and a splash of angostura. The owners and operators of La Javanesa say that this is a place where they don't use measures, just their passion. And it shows.
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Eixample
  • Recommended

This bar serves some of the most Instagram-worthy drinks in town. One, ‘Mrs. Potts and Little Chip’ is a gin cocktail infused with tea, rosewater, lychee and hibiscus. The best part is that the drink is served in a teacup and a steaming teapot to really bring The Beauty and the Beast-y vibes. A sense of humour, technique and creativity: this is what The Alchemix promises.  

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