This very week, Barcelona, which vibrates to the rhythm of a cocktail shaker, has kicked off a quarter of celebrations and activities to mark the 90th anniversary of the Boadas cocktail bar, which has been serving good drinks for decades without losing its character. The iconic establishment, founded in 1933, is a symbol of survival: past and future have been connected thanks to its new co-owners' commitment to maintaining its quintessence.
Tracing its history, the establishment at 1 Tallers Street was created by Miguel Boadas, who would mark the emergence of modern mixology in the city. He had accumulated skill and experience from his youth in Cuba, and later training on the Costa Brava and Barcelona's Rambla. But he managed to break the molds of the time by opting for his own small establishment, with some imported ideas, high stools as epicenters of conversation, and the magic of his cocktail shaker. For all these reasons, he was a pioneer in the metropolis and second in the history of mixology in Spain.
The story that followed has the makings of a novel, as on his deathbed, the entrepreneur Boadas asked his daughter Maria Dolores to serve his visitors some cocktails, while he handed her the baton of the business to continue his legacy. She would marry José Luis, who contributed knowledge to the technique learned by the founding lineage. And spontaneously for decades, the establishment served as a social and cultural meeting point and a reflection of local evolution.
Meeting point
Its resume is full of illustrious visitors. From Jacinto Benavente and Josep Maria de Sagarra to Picasso, Hemingway, Dalí, or Greta Garbo, they all leaned on its bar. The latter even gave their names to some still-current drinks. And more recently, they were seen Kevin Costner or Antonio Banderas.But despite its tradition, it would not have been surprising if the steamroller that in recent decades has erased many historic or emblematic establishments in the Ciutat Vella district had ended up with the precocioustemple of mixology.
In its favor, it has had good replacements, such as Jerónimo Vaquero, who arrived at the business at just 14 years old and had spent more than half a century serving behind its bar when he recently partnered with Marc Álvarez, Simone Caporale (owners of Sips, the third best cocktail bar in the world according to the World's Best Bar lists) and Álvaro Cueto. "There I learned everything, from washing dishes to doing the mechanics, but I was lucky that I loved the job. If I hadn't worked at Boadas, I would have been a customer," he recounts, guaranteeing another 10 years in the house until celebrating the century.
He will leave the premises in good hands, he affirms, because the new partners have committed to shielding the DNA of the establishment.
Only in the afternoons
In the cocktail bar Boadas the only changes made in the new stage have been to improve the air conditioning and adjust theschedule, since it used to open at noon but now only does so from 5:00 p.m. until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., depending on the day, opting for the busiest time slot.They do not foresee further modifications to their repertoireof classics neither in their manners, nor in theclientele of recent years, which mixes Barcelona regulars and nostalgics with a growing parade of tourists with a palate who appreciate the authenticity of the house.The good cocktail reputation that the Catalan capital has championed for years (with the ultimate achievement of having the best bar in the world, Paradiso) makes Boadas not only a necessary place, but (fortunately) viable
Marc Álvarez assured last October 5 at the first celebration of the 90 years (held due to size in Via Veneto) that as a twenty-something he already accompanied his uncles to enter without clashing in this timeless eden of mixtures. Bartender Simone Caporale, who before Sips, propelled (among others) the bar of the Langham Hotel in London as World's Best Bar for four years, is another awarded 'crack' of the sector, to which he adds talent and innovation from his other Barcelona venue. All of them ensure that at Boadas the cocktails of yesterday and always are top-notch.
Intense agenda
They explain to us that many things will happen at Boadas cocktail bar this year, such as the visit of mixology greats, who for a day will make the bar and the mixing glass their own. Both foreign and local.Until December there will also be tastings and other activities to publicize the universe and power of Boadas. On the horizon, they are already planning the creation of a book of their own recipes and those of the illustrious guests who will be parading through. A jewel they want to launch when they reach their centenary in good shape.
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