BOADAS - OUR FAVORITE BARCELONA COCKTELERIA.

I received an e-mail this morning from a Washington DC-area friend who is going to Barcelona. I suggested that Marti and I train down to meet him and his wife for a drink at Boadas, which claims to be the oldest cockteleria in the city. It was founded in 1933 by Cuban-born Catalan Miguel Boadas (at right). As inspiration for this new venture, Boadas recalled the legendary Havana hangout La Floridita, where he had famously served as barman in the 1920s.

The bar, located right off the Ramblas, was originally recommended to us by our longtime Barcelona-based American expat pal, comedienne Rachel Arieff (pictured above with Marti and me at her zany weekly Anti-Karaoke Night). To this day at Boadas: Best.Ever.Mojitos.

The bar always has been a haven for the famous, the well-heeled and working stiffs alike. In 1978 the painter Joan Miró, our long-departed rue Blomet “neighbor,” wrote a loving note to Boadas’ daughter María Dolores; I have loosely translated it from Catalan: “I feel honored to say, remembering my youth, that when I lived in the Passatge del Crèdit and used to come to your bar in Tallers Street, I recall many charming adventures.”

From worldsbestbars.com:

Joan Miró Cocktail

Naturally, with the popularity of Bar Boadas, A-list celebrities from the arts, literature, politics, and even film stars such as Sophia Loren visited this smiling master. For his favorites, Boadas and his barmen dedicated cocktails. One regular customer was surrealist painter and sculptor Joan Miró for whom Boadas dedicated the Joan Miró Cocktail.

• 30 ml Chivas Regal
• 30 ml Dubonnet Rouge
• 30 ml Grand Marnier

Shake vigorously over cracked ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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