A Trip to Barcelona... Dry Martini and Eclipse (15.5/20)

Dry Martini

Location: Aribau 162, Barcelona 08036

Website: www.javierdelasmuelas.com/eng/dry/barcelona/dry-martini

Visit: Thursday evening

To Note: The restaurant may look quiet but the bar is always buzzing

Scores
Ambiance: 3/5
Design: 5/5
Drinks: 3.5/5
Staff: 4/5

On asking a friend based in Barcelona for recommendations I got a 6 page document and luckily hit upon the Dry Martini bar on a wander home one evening. We looked dubiously through the empty restaurant but on turning the corner we found the bar entrance and pitched up at one end of the long mahogany bar. The walls were lined with old spirits and bottles and there were cabinets like chemistry labs stating “the evolution of the martini”. Staff were pristine in white coats and bow ties.

They do not have a menu, however our charming bar tender simply asked what spirits and flavours we liked, long or short, and got to work. My companion had a long ginger and whisky drink and my gin fizz was fine, a little diluted perhaps. The downside of having no menu = no prices. But we were pleasantly surprised to see the drinks came in at less than €10 each.

The crowd seemed to be a mixture of locals, ex pats and a few tourists but there was a constant hum and overall a bar you could happy wile away a few hours if you are looking for a quieter evening.

Eclipse at W Hotel

Location: Placa de la Rosa del Vents, Barcelona 08039

Website: www.w-barcelona.com/eclipse-bar

Visit: Friday evening

To Note: Get there before 7.30 or book ahead, the evenings kick off about 11pm

Scores
Ambiance: 3/5
Design: 5/5
Drinks: 3.5/5
Staff: 4/5

Set in the windsurf sail styled building at the end of the harbour and up 26 floors, the Eclipse is

accessed by its own lift from the lobby of W Hotel. We arrived at 7pm as it opened so grabbed a window seat and watched over the next hour as the sun set and the view changed till the lights inside reflected attractively on the windows. Eventually we could no longer see the private beach and pool directly below the bar but watched as the lights of Barcelona lit up everything from the Park Guell to the lighthouse, all contained within the mountains.

The crowd had a fair few tourists, this is after all set in a hotel, but also some glamorous locals and most importantly friendly staff who were stopped every few minutes to take photos! Even if you do not get a window seat, others may prefer to take a sofa that runs down the middle to look out over the harbour from a comfier position.

Cocktails were about €12 - €15 as expected in a bar like this, and you have to pay for water too! However I was impressed by my tequila and wasabi creation even though the barman insisted that mine was the passion fruit one. We swapped after he had left. My companion’s drink – with the passion fruit – missed the mark a little tasting sweet and fruity and not much else.

An hour later we headed for dinner (up another tower down the road) but if money was no object I would happily spend an evening in W, especially as I heard the lift hostess answer that things got pretty buzzy around 11pm…