The best cocktail bars in Barcelona

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.