Handcrafted cocktails are the drink of choice in this cool, industrial-chic Chueca bar, where every spirit has been artisanally made and sits in glass jars with handwritten labels behind the counter. The lack of big name brands is refreshing and allows the beautifully made spirits, crafted by barman Narciso Bermejo, to really sing. The bar offers its own gin, whiskey, vodka and rum, as well as a range of cocktails.
This Madrid institution was the first cocktail bar to open in Spain – in its heyday, it welcomed Hollywood stars like Ava Gardener and Frank Sinatra, as well as the likes of Ernest Hemingway, who would mingle with dashing Spanish matadors and Madrid’s in-crowd. Today, you can sink back into one of the bar’s cosy booths, choose from a vast array of cocktails and imagine you’re one of the stars of the silver screen.
Taking style inspiration from New York’s classic drinking dens, Del Diego is a family-run cocktail bar that is one of the most popular in Madrid. It was set up by Fernando del Diego, who began his career working at the legendary Museo Chicote before founding his own cocktail bar in 1992. Today, Fernando runs the bar with his two sons making it a true family affair. The menu is wide-ranging, including everything from classics like Bloody Marys and Old Fashioneds, to cocktails that incorporate Spanish ingredients like Cava-based Agua de Valencia.
The Mercado de San Antón, a traditional covered food market in the heart of Chueca, reopened after extensive renovations in 2011 as a hip place selling fresh produce, and is now home to a new range of food stalls alongside La Cocina de San Antón, a restaurant and roof terrace on the market’s third floor. The terrace, with its comfy sofas and views over the barrio’s rooftops, is a great place to kick back with a cocktail. Try the Pasión de San Antón, a combination of rum, lime, passion fruit, lemon and sugar.
This wine bar, cocktail bar and restaurant is a sophisticated spot that is taking cocktail making to new and adventurous levels. Not content with using just a mere glass, Angelita offers up its cocktails in a vast variety of receptacles, from a Bloody Mary in a Campbell’s tomato soup tin to a gin cocktail served in a plastic bag sitting in a miniature shopping trolley.
This indoor beach bar allows you to get some coastal vibes even in Madrid, some 300km (186 miles) away from the nearest beach. DJs spin while you relax on the sand or in the comfy seating with a beach-themed cocktail. Its menu of over 80 cocktails includes all the classics, including several different types of mojito, as well as new creations with a tropical spin. Part of the bar is also a restaurant, so you can enjoy some creative takes on international cuisine with your drinks.
The party is always getting started at this popular gay bar, where everyone is welcome as long as they’re out for a good time. Handsome barmen make expertly mixed cocktails and the music is blasting from early in the evening. Like the barmen, there is nothing shy and retiring about Baranoa’s cocktails; expect huge tropical creations with little umbrellas and straws and maybe even a parrot for good measure.
Among the clothes shops of pedestrianised shopping street Fuencarral, you’ll find this throwback to 1950s Americana, named after the film Harvey, in which James Stewart befriends a giant imaginary rabbit of the same name. Harvey’s has red upholstered booths, vintage tunes on the jukebox and a good range of classic cocktails, as well as a Spanish spin on classic American cuisine. The muted lighting brings to mind old New York speakeasies and clandestine drinking dens.
Prepare to sing your heart out with locals as they crowd around the piano for a good old fashioned singalong at this legendary local. This classic piano bar, which features beautiful vintage decor, is a favourite with the older crowds, but there are a growing number of younger patrons who are discovering the bar’s charms. Be warned: patrons take the singing very seriously, it is not just any old karaoke, so if you’re planning to sing, make sure you know all the words and can belt the song out in tune.
Madrileños love a gin and tonic, or ‘gin-tonics’ as they’re called in Spain, and the love affair shows no sign of slowing down. Sample some quality Spanish and international gins (the menu has over 40 different types), as well as a range of cocktails at Gin Club, a stylish cocktail bar in the Mercado de la Reina, a tapas bar just off Gran Vía. The restaurant offers specialties from across Spain to enjoy alongside your cocktails.