Tequila San José, Marie Brizard green apple liqueur, Granny Smith apple pulp, sugar cane syrup, lime, and fresh spearmint. These are the ingredients of the official cocktail of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell - Conde de Godó Trophy, designed by Javier de las Muelas, owner of the iconic Dry Martini. This is the first time the tournament has its own cocktail and it can be tasted throughout this week in the village and on the rooftop of the VIP area of the competition organized by the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
Powerful, fruity, herbal, and with a marked spicy kick that leaves no one indifferent, the cocktail pays tribute to the world of tennis, as it adopts the characteristic yellow color of tennis balls and is served with a crystalline ice sphere that precisely imitates a ball. "I had wanted to make a cocktail for the Godó for a long time, a unique and special drink for the most important sporting and social event of the year in Barcelona. Finally, this year I have achieved it, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the tournament," explains Javier de las Muelas, who recalls that Wimbledon also has its own cocktail and its famous strawberries and cream.
Javier de las Muelas, an international reference in the world of cocktails, claimed this Monday during the presentation of this proposal to be a "great ambassador for the Barcelona brand" and asked the city to stop "flagellating itself" and apply a good dose of self-esteem: "Barcelona is still a powerhouse brand". "Enough of flagellating ourselves and having this complaining attitude. We must realize that the quality of the city depends on us; let's wake up!" he emphasized, after stressing that he does not trust politicians much, but he does trust the great potential of private initiative.
The businessman has also championed "the culture of bars," because it is the "differential value we have in Spain" and a perfect tool to "cure the great evil of loneliness". "The bar is a meeting point for people, it is part of a lifestyle that is envied in many countries, it is something unique that we must appreciate. We must reclaim bars, because that's where life is really played out, and life is made up of small great details like having a cocktail," he reflected. Thus, he laments that many historic bars have disappeared: "Cities are defined by their great establishments. We must not let them be lost," he demands.
Javier de las Muelas: "We must reclaim bars, because that's where life is really played out, and life is made up of small great details like having a cocktail"De las Muelas, whose right-hand man is Gerard Acereda, manages about fifteen establishments in Spain and abroad, several of them located in large international luxury hotels. One of these establishments, the Dry Martini in Madrid, was located in the Hotel Fénix Gran Meliá, but had to close last November when the contract ended, so De las Muelas has been fully dedicated in recent months to finding a new location in the capital and, finally, he has found it.
The new Dry Martini Madrid will be located in the iconic Club Allard, where the acclaimed chef Martín Berasategui, holder of twelve Michelin stars, has also just opened a restaurant. Club Allard is located in Casa Gallardo, a majestic building in the renovated Plaza España, where in addition to the restaurant and the future cocktail bar ---it will open in the coming months--- there is a large terrace and a smoking club.
Anniversary of Gimlet and Montesquiu
It is not the only project De las Muelas has in hand. "I am very active, right now I have a diversity of fronts," he highlights, referring to the collaborations he carries out with Rabat or La Roca Village, or the creation of a collection of cocktails to pair with different types of caviar.
In addition, this year he celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Gimlet on Santaló street. "This place has been my great contribution to the world of mixology; it evokes a Barcelona that I would like to recover," he points out. In addition, Montesquiu, a neighborhood winery he bought in 1991 to maintain the city's hospitality tradition, also turns 70 this year.
Among other projects, De las Muelas also promotes an exhibition at the Dry Martini in Barcelona with photographs taken by Maria Espeus of 150 personalities from 1980s Barcelona, an initiative that could also be turned into a book.
This Sunday, on the occasion of Sant Jordi's day, the Dry Martini will also be filled with books thanks to an initiative by journalist Anna Alós that began last year. Còctel d'Autors will bring together 14 authors, including Alós herself, Eva Espinet, Eugeni Verdú, and Meritxell Falgueras.