Barcelona Cocktail Bars

Beer drinkers and wine lovers for most of their history, the Catalans were slow to embrace the delights of spirits – and the art of mixing them together. However in recent years cocktails have been coming to the fore, with a rush of bars and lounges opening up around Barcelona, serving a vast and tasty array of concoctions to excite the most discerning of palates.

This being Spain, where the precise measuring of alcohol is considered uncouth, drinks are mixed as strong as you like, so be warned before you set off on that epic bar crawl or order one too many mojitos with your dinner.

The art of mixology

Below is by no means an exhaustive list, but it features some of my favourite cocktail bars in the city. And, this being Barcelona, there’s plenty of differing styles on offer. From upscale lobbies in 5-star hotels, where you can mingle with polite company, to homely haunts around the Old Town where your well-mixed Margarita comes with eulogies about Barça FC and worn-out sofas… the Catalan capital has the perfect sipping spot for you.

Mojitos and caipirinhas are the people’s choice, but you’ll be able to find anything from ‘Porn Star Martinis’ to ‘Panther’s Milk’… whilst a new generation of ambitious mixologists are being celebrated for their innovative libations.

When it comes to the cocktails themselves, mojitos and caipirinhas are the people’s choice, but shop around and you’ll be able to find anything from ‘Porn Star Martinis’ to ‘Panther’s Milk’ on the drinks menu, whilst a new generation of ambitious mixologists are being celebrated for their innovative libations. This being Cava country you’ll also find some sinfully sparkling Champagne cocktails!

Recommended Cocktail Bars

You can find 13 of my favourite places to wet the whistle below. If you click on their names you will find a more detailed review, photos, website link and individual location.

1. Slow Cocktail Bar & Boîte

For a classy cocktail experience it’s hard to beat a night at Slow, where celebrated bartender Fran Mekk performs liquid alchemy as he rustles together some of the most mouthwatering concoctions in town. Try their Capitan Barbarroja or Spiced Margarita, or perhaps a ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ from their new Artists menu, inspired by legendary painters of the medieval ages. The bar is located in the Zona Alta, and as such is patronised by a well-dressed Catalan crowd, who meet and chat in the front bar earlier on in the evening; while later at night Slow’s intimate upstairs disco rocks to an eclectic mix of dancefloor-friendly tracks. There’s also live music every Friday and Saturday night from 9:30pm. A great option for a unique libation, or if you want to experience a more authentic slice of Barcelona’s nightlife, outside of the old town.

2. La Whiskeria

This elegant salon is as moody and sophisticated as the most cultured of the 1000+ whiskey blends it stocks behind its long, polished bar. All of the venue’s stylish furnishings have been procured and restored from antique markets, making this modern venue feel timeless; while rooms full of fainting couches and chaise-longues have a certain seductive appeal. Naturally, the house specialties are whiskey cocktails and a selected menu includes classics like Whiskey Sours, Penicillin, and the House Old Fashioned, alongside more fruity offerings like the Derby Tropical (Jack Daniels single barrel, lime, pineapple, curaçao, and bitters). If whiskey isn’t your poison, you can also select one of their other concoctions, like Pomelo Rising, made with Sencha Tea Gin, Campari, yuzu, citrus and grapefruit soda.

3. Milk Barcelona

This 1950s-styled bar and bistro has won a place in the heart of many a visitor to Barcelona, many of whom return a second time for another shot at the venue’s tantalising drinks menu. It’s hard to resist their Margaritas, mojitos and daiquiris, but this was also the bar to make the Porn Star Martini famous in the city, while a Golden Screwdriver, made with Polish Bison Grass vodka would be my personal poison. Relaxed and unpretentious, you can find Milk tucked away on the edge of El Gotico, just near the Post Office. (And if you’re feeling hungover the next day, they are also one of the city’s best brunch spots!).

4. Furia

Cross the bridge in Marina Village to find this sequestered den of iniquity, where in-the-know party-goers enjoy some of the best cocktails on the Port Olimpic before heading out to the nightclubs. The drinks menu veers towards the tropical side as folks in these parts are usually high on holiday vibes, making Furia a fantastic place to sip refreshing libations such as Hawaiian Kiss, Tropical Jack or Summer Fling, while flirting with fellow drinkers.

5. Boadas

A perfectly preserved slice of the 1930s, this legendary watering hole is the oldest cocteleria not just in the city – but in the country! Founded by the eponymous Boadas after he returned from mixing Cuba Libre’s in the world famous La Floridita in Havana. If you like your Martinis mixed by a tuxedo-wearing pro be sure to sidle through their red door on La Rambla. More info on their website.

6. Dr. Stravinsky

I was pretty upset when the unassuming Czech bar that once occupied this location closed; however I soon got over my disappointment when I stepped into the same space reimagined as a kind of 19th century botanical lab, full of interconnecting tubes, flasks and funnels. The name is lifted from a fictional psychiatrist from the magic realist novel The Master & Margarita, and there’s certainly something devilish and fantastical about the cocktails here, that are as tempting as they are original. Plants feature heavily in the creative process and don’t be surprised if your drink comes served in a flower vase.

7. Firebug

Buzzing onto the booze’n’schmooze scene in recent years, Firebug is a cute bar and bistro with some great decorative touches (like the mural made of decapitated suitcases) and expertly mixed drinks, mostly generously priced around the €6-9 mark. Their street terrace on the broad and leafy Passeig Sant Joan (recently voted 2nd best street in the world by Time Out!) is a lovely space to sip a Cava sangria, and a refreshing change from the charismatic but clogged streets of the Old Town. Upstairs, you can enjoy casual fingerfood with friends.

8. Paradiso

Barcelona’s worst kept secret, Paradiso is a ‘speakeasy’ that every Catalan grandma knows about by now and is popular with experience-craving tourists in particular. Despite the overwhelming hype, being regularly voted as one of the world’s best bars doesn’t happen by accident, and if you’re willing to brave the queues that lead through the fridge door of the pastrami joint that it’s hidden behind, then you’ll certainly enjoy the creativity of this cave-like cocteleria. Find in El Born district.

9. Mariposa Negra

Taking its name from a mythical black butterfly that features in the superb novel Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (author of The Shadow of the Wind), this bar has quickly cemented itself a legendary status of its own. For a start, it’s the only bar to use a 3D printer to print it’s own ceramic glasses! Pretty neat, while the bar has a large terrace on a picturesque Plaça de les Olles, to go with its fantasy-themed interior. If you find yourself in an overly long queue for Paradiso, I’d advise popping around the corner to Mariposa Negra instead…

10. GAIA

If you’re planning a night out in the Zona Alta, where the hip young locals hang out, be sure to put Gaia on your list of stop-offs. Looking like it was dreamed up by Willy Wonka and Barbie working in tandem, the brash pink interior of this restaurant serves up all the classic concoction, as well as more modern libations like their take on the Zombie, Paloma or Penicillin Sour. A menu of creative tapas and mains will ensure you don’t keel over after the first snifter.

11. Rouge Cocktail Club

It’s hard to beat this hidden gem in Poble Sec, if it’s atmosphere you’re after. Red lights, cherubs, erotic artwork – you’ll feel like you’re in a Parisian bordello. The drinks ain’t bad either, and there’s a large menu of gin and tonics. The occasional live DJ or band drops by, from time to time, usually flagged on their Instagram account.

12. Gigi Von Tapas

For sophisticated sipping, outside of touristville, commandeer a stool at this bar-restaurant’s elegant counter and ogle at the house’s extensive drinks menu. Signature cocktails go by the names of el torero, bumblebee, sheikh le beet, 2001: Space Odyssey, and Pep Dali, while you can also order a fine selection of the classics, like Penicillin, Sidecar and Dark & Stormy. All are reasonably priced, as is the quality tapas if you do decide to stay for dinner.

13. Pipa Club

This one-time, secret, after-hours bar for round-the-clock drinkers (yes, I was a regular) has cleaned up its act in recent years to become a private cocktail club. In fact, it’s relatively easy to get in, especially if you speak a bit of castellano. Just ring the buzzer, ascend and expect to be seated and served. Opens at 10pm each night and closes at 5am.

Cocktail Experiences & Activities

1. Cocktail Masterclass & Tapas

Perhaps you’ve watched one too many 80s movies featuring Tom Cruise, or perhaps you’ve simply always wanted to know how to mix a mean-@ss Margarita without spilling ice all over the table top… whatever your motivation a session with one of Barcelona’s finest mixologists is an activity that always goes down a treat. For just €50 you learn how to mix four famous cocktails, while nibbling on some top Spanish tapas (to prevent you from keeling over). The activity takes place at a bar downtown, every Sunday to Thursday at 7pm. You can find out more and book on Get Your Guide!

Shake it up at a hip cocktail class

2. Private Cocktail Making Class

If you’re on a hen weekend, birthday celebration, or team night out, this group activity is a great way to start any night out! For just 35 euros per person (based on a minimum of 6 people) you get to learn how to make some of the world’s classic cocktails and of course taste them afterwards – you’ll drink your money’s worth back no problems! Click on the link above for more info, or email info@barcelona-life.com to book.

Learn how to do it yourself!