Imogen Calderwood
MARGARITAS, mojitos and the classic G&T – Spanish bartenders will be spending their summers shaking these favourites over ice.
Now is Spain’s golden era of cocktails, according to reports, and professionals are determined to keep the trend going from strength to strength.
“Cocktails are here to stay,” said Diego Cabrera, an Argentinean barman and consultant.
“It is possible to put ourselves among the international elite because, among other things, we have the great advantage of the Spain brand, which is very powerful on the gastronomic front.”
The ever-increasing growth of mixology – the art of creating cocktails – is a trend apparently led by women.
“Television series such as Sex in the City and Mad Men have pushed women into cocktail bars, and glamour has followed in their wake,” observed Catalan barman and entrepreneur Javier de las Muelas.
“Before this, cocktail bars were dark places frequented by men. Now more emphasis is placed on design, atmosphere, the look and the feel.”
One of the alleged sources for the growing popularity of the upper-class alcohol is, bizarrely, Spanish traffic authorities.
Increased police presence and roadside alcohol tests are forcing customers to consider quality over quantity – while a minimum €10 price tag does not exactly encourage binge drinking.
Maybe in the other parts of Spain but speaking from my experiences on the Costa del Sol the cocktail culture is awful. I have been in the bar business for well over 20 years and a lot of that in cocktail bars in London and now own a bar here for over 12 years and have tried on many occasions to bring in decent cocktails but unles it is a piña colada or a San Francisco no one cares. mojitos are all the rage but 90% of those are made with lemons as limes are so expensive yet people don’t care even though the flavor is changed enormously. Basically like the stupid gin culture it’s all style over substance with the bigger the glass and more fruit in it is how is judged
It’s just another way of pushing the same old drug. Alcohol.
Put it in a fancy frock and stick it back out on the game.