Feature Image: Montgomery Cocktails
Barcelona was our first stop on our four-city tour of Spain. We spent a lot of time exploring the Gothic Quarter eating vegetarian tapas and wandering down the maze of cobbled streets, but we were staying in a mid-city neighbourhood known as L’Eixample. It’s home to lots of the modernist architecture that has made Barcelona such a magnetic destination, and it was an easy walk to Passeig de Gràcia, Gaudí’s Casa Batlló, and Gaudí’s La Pedrera.
This area of the city seemed more like a locals destination than a tourist hub, and there were lots of cozy restaurants and bars on our door step. When we checked in to our Zoorooms guest house, we asked the host for a couple of watering holes, and he his recommendations really hit the mark.
Hemingway Barcelona Gins and Cocktail Bar
Great for: Pre-dinner drinks or late evening night-cap
On our arrival we asked the receptionist about the local hotspots and his top pick was the Hemingway Bar. This narrow basement bar was opened in 2017, and had a cuban vibe to the decor. It was named after Ernest Hemingway who apparently had an extreme passion for cocktails.
Each time we visited the place was heaving, and patrons who were shoulder to shoulder at the bar waiting for their made-to-order cocktails to be created from freshly squeezed juices.
The Italian bar staff were knowledgeable, chatty, and very busy, but they always found time to flirt with every woman that propped up their bar. They also spoke the international language of football, so Red was in his element.
At 12 Euros per cocktail, the Montgomery’s weren’t cheap, but they were so drinkable. I’m always looking for new and exciting ways to drink gin, and the mixture of citrus and ginger was enhanced with the basil’s aniseed overtones.
The Montgomery is served in a sea urchin shaped glass, topped with a fruity sweet foam. Here’s the ingredients if you want to make it at home:
- Oxley Dry Gin
- Ginger Liqueur (infused with Earl Grey Tea)
- Lemon Juice
- Basil
- Herbal Syrup Cranberry Foam
Oxley is a London gin with juniper, hints of soft pine, zest and dry herbs. So the addition of the other ingredients in this cocktail, complimented the overall flavor profile.
We were traveling on a budget for two weeks, but it was also Red’s 50th birthday trip so that was enough of an excuse to push the boat out and visit The Hemingway Bar multiple times.
- Address: Carrer de Muntaner, 114, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Google Maps Location
Sagrades Tannines
Great for: Live Music during Sunday Brunch time
We wanted a funky place for Sunday brunch with live music, and our second recommendation from our Zoorooms host was the Sagrades Tannines bar and music venue.
It was a bit of a walk from our accommodation to the The Basílica de la Sagrada Família, and the bar was tucked down one of the quiet side streets nearby. It was a sunny Sunday morning and we weren’t in a hurry, so we walked the 2km route to build up an appetite and thirst.
We thought the bar might be a bit pretentious, or too touristy because it was so close to the Basílica, but the majority of patrons were Spanish, it was a low-key bar with a reasonably priced local beer and wine as part of their Brunch happy hour.
You need to get there prompts, because Sunday hours are 12:30 to 3:30pm, and you’re going to want to spend a few hours there enjoying the ambiance. There’s a revolving door of singers, guitarists, and other musicians on the informal stage. You’re surrounded by excited Spanish chatter, and there’s a real buzz about the place.
Seating is a premium—mostly bar stools around old barrels. But we only had to wait about 20 minutes to get a seat so that we could eat something, and then we spent the rest of the time in front of the stage having a little dance, and chatting to the locals who were sharing our barrel to put their drinks down. It was definitely worth the walk to get here.
- Address: Passatge de Simó, 20, 08025 Barcelona, Spain
- Google Maps Location
I love when you find local spots when travelling. I would love to try out the selection of gins in the Hemingway Bar. It seems like an iconic if expensive place for a treat. Interesting that a bar like Sagrada Tannines so close to the famous church was not filled with tourists. Love spots that have local artists. Two good choices for our next visit to Barcelona.
We’ve got the host of our BnB to thank for the recommendations, we wouldn’t have found these from the net without his insider tips.
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I’ve heard of Hemingway and it is on my list – had 10 days planned for Barcelona and surrounds for May just passed but trip was cancelled, thanks to Covid! Didn’t know about Sagrades Tannines. Live music during Sunday brunch sounds awesome. Will definitely try and visit here when in Barcelona.
It’s only a small place, but I’m not surprised that it has a reputation already, even after only being open for a couple of years.
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I think it would be the Montgomery for me. Love reading about the spots popular with locals and avoiding the tourist venues
It was a delicious cocktail .. such a harmony of flavors.
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I would love to visit all of those. But for some reason I feel like Montgomery would be my favorite. I would try as many different cocktails as my body can take, just for the fun of tasting new stuff.
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It’s easy to just fall into your comfort zone and only try the same cocktails again and again .. so I loved that we got to try some different ones at Hemingways.
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These spots all look super cool. We always try to find local spots versus large chains when we travel. It’s a better experience for us and better for the communities we are visiting!
I was so pleasantly surprised traveling around Spain with the lack of chains and the choice of local family run businesses which celebrated their uniqueness and quirkiness.
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The Montgomery cocktail looks tasty and the sea urchin glasses are amazing. They look like they are made of ice. Will check these place out next time I am in Barcelona 🙂
They were unique glasses for sure, but I do wonder how many of them they break each night. They don’t look that sturdy.
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Ahhha that glass is so crazy. 😁😁😁 €12 sounds damn expensive but even though I would love to give it a try. 🥂🍹🍸
Yep … very expensive, especially when you’re traveling on a budget. But sometimes you just have to live for the moment, and throw caution to the wind, and forget all about the budget .. but after two drink each … and a bill of 50 Euros … we had to go in search of a cheaper bar, because these drinks we so good, they didn’t last long enough!
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These places sound great. I loved the night life vibes in Barcelona, but I don’t remember the names of bars we went to 🙂 They are expensive but great for once in a while.
We went out every night during our 5 night stay, and tried lots of different tapas bars and restaurants, and lots of the places we can’t remember the names for, but these two places really stood out for us – so I was determined to remember them.
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Finding local spots is the best! I haven’t been to Barcelona yet, but will definitely have to stop at a couple of these whenever I am able to visit 🙂
Definitely give it a go. Even though it’s a well-trodden tourist destination, there are plenty of corners where you can mix with the locals and really get a flavor of living in Spain, rather than just wearing your tourist hat.
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OMG – not your average bar! These places look so cool – love the ornate glasses!!!
Each cocktail was served in a different shaped glass, but it really helped to pique your interest before ordering a cocktail. I saw these Montgomery’s being made before I ordered mine, and when I found out the name, I was sold on the ingredients. My kind of cocktail. And a different way to enjoy a gin.
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Sorry I’m super distracted by that glass! Do they serve all the drinks in that cool spiky (although maybe somewhat impractical) glass?
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Very impractical .. but very eye catching .. no this glass was only for the Montgomery. It could have done with being a little larger so more could fit in the glass!
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I looooove Barcelone. It’s my favorite city. The bars and restaurants there were so cool. Thanks for sharing this summary of the best bars with local vibes. I’m now hungry and craving a Barcelona tapa and cocktail!
The Spanish really know how to enjoy an evening out. The bar hopping, and sampling tapas in different bars and cafes is defiantly much better than sitting in one place all night.
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Barcelona just has such a cool vibe with the mixture of history and trendy. These bars look like such a fun way to go off the beaten path and still have a memorable trip! Thank you for sharing
Yes so much history and iconic architectures, and a completely different vibe here in the north of Spain vs. the south. It’s like lots of different countries all squashed together in one. We met so many great locals too, that were friendly and happy to practice their English with us.
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Barcelona is one of the most vibrant cities we have visited. Especially the vibes at the Las Ramblas and towards the beach. I absolutely loved my vegetarian tapas and potato omelette there! And we hopped over to as many Gaudi architectures – how magnificent each of them are!
My favourite area was the old town area just off Las Ramblas. All the narrow cobbled lanes, and little tapas bars tucked down quiet little streets. And then a block away, a large noisy square fringed with yet more tapas bars. The night life is fantastic.
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First of all that glass with spikes is really crazy and I have seen first time such type of drink glass. I really feel local vibes here in all of these bars at Barcelona through your photos. Live Spanish Music looks sounds very vibrant and I love such type of evening outs at quirky bars with local music and food.
I don’t think those glasses are very practical .. they must be a nightmare to wash up and make sure the spikes don’t get broken off. But at 12 Euros a drink I’m sure they can afford a few breakages.
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I love this! I plan on going to Spain if the borders ever open up again and bars are important! I love that they are located away from the tourist hub.
We much prefer to wander off the beaten path and find places to eat and drink where we know we can meet some locals. What’s the point of traveling half way around the world to talk to people from the same country .. you can do that at home! Give me that local immersive experience every time.
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Hemingway’s looks awesome! That is so a cocktail I would try – doesn’t matter what is in it – just the cup is so cool! I love that the bar near La Sagrada Familia wasn’t too touristy – that’s always my concern as well!
They say that we eat and drink with our eyes — and a glass like this certainly attracts your attention doesn’t it?
Wow! Love the idea of live music during Sunday Brunch time. We’d love to visit Sagrades Tannines. Checking their webiste now. Thank you for sharing.
Music is such a bit part of the Spanish culture, that we wanted to make sure we could experience as much of it as possible, but it’s difficult to discover where these live music events take place – so we were so happy that our BnB host was in-the-know.
This is amazing – I just thought what unusual glasses those are – and then it hit me… However, I hope they are using sustainable straws?! Since we hardly use plastic straws anymore in Germany so I don’t need to tell the waiter I don’t want one, I’m always kinda shocked to see them elsewhere – and regret that I didn’t deny them. However, is there any (other) way holding that glass?
Yes the straws are sustainable … they’re made of metal and reused. A straw is the only way to drink your drink, since you can’t pick the glass up.
Finding local spots to drink and eat is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture and the place. Love checking out places where the locals hang out! Spent time eating at the Gothic Quarter as well but so wished we had seen this list prior to visiting Barcelona. But having missed out on things is always a great reason to go back 😉
Also that’s really some glass, with all those spikes! So funky.
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Loved the Gothic Quarter … so many fun little places tucked down the side streets, but it was nice to get away from there and explore a different area of the city.
The Hemingway Bar looks very interesting! Trying a new type of drink is also fun in my book and it sounds like the bar has some unique ones to try. Sagrades Tannines sounds lovely as well with the live entertainment. A drink and a show sound like a lovely way to spend an afternoon in Barcelona.
We did a lot of sightseeing .. the main reason to go to Barcelona was the tapas and the Gaudi buildings .. and we indulged ourselves in both. But I do love listening to local music, it’s a great way to have an immersive travel experience.
I have never been to Barcelona but I have it in my list for a long time now. I really like reading articles where it recommends the local tricks and tips. Finding these bars with the local vibes must have been an exciting thing. I generally love to visit the places where the locals go and spend their time as opposed to the touristy spots.
Depending on the city, it’s becoming harder and harder to discover places with a true local’s vibe and a welcoming atmosphere. I think the trick is to get recommendations from people who actually live in the city.
Finding local places to eat and drink is one of the best things. The Hemingway Bar sounds interesting, and so are its bar staffs! The combination of Cocktails and football would definitely make my partner happy. The music at Sagrades Tannines bar sounds chirpy and fun. These are some great places you discovered in Barcelona!
No matter where we go or who we talk to if I’m with my husband there’s always a conversation about football. It’s one of his passions
To begin with, that sea-urchin shaped glass looks adorable! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a cute shot-glass!
Yeah, at 12 euros it is definitely not cheap, quite expensive. But when you’re on a holiday, a couple of indulgences like this are a must!
Good to know that even if Sagrades Tannines is so close to a major tourist spot, it is still authentic and patronized by the locals.
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Yes I agree even when you’re traveling on a budget you still have to allow yourself a few little splurges. I find that I appreciate those even more when I’m not doing them all the time.
Oh I just love Barcelona, we’ve been there about five times, the city is magical. My favorite bar is actually an Irish one though, called the Wild Rover – the best music!
I can’t wait to go back … we loved it. And there’s so much more to explore that we didn’t get to see this time around.
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What a fun review of interesting local bars! I love the sea urchin glass – certainly must be even more of a challenge to pick up as the evening goes on. Thanks for including the music clip too – definitely takes you there and gives you a flavor of the ambiance. Barcelona is one of my favorite cities in Spain.
You can’t even pick them up at the beginning of the evening .. the only way to drink is with a straw. Whoever designed them definitely favored design over function.