BARCELONA


Q&A with Isabella Paparella, concierge at Barcelona’s Grand Hotel Central


opened in 2015, the speakeasy masquerading as a pastrami deli has bagged the world’s best bar accolade, staged pop-ups around the world and spawned an outpost in Dubai. Never mind the paradox of a secret bar that’s


globally renowned; befi tting its surreptitious portal — an enormous fridge door adjacent to the deli counter — it’s still eff ortlessly cool, with a honey-hued, grooved-wood interior and a stylish crowd enjoying a soundtrack of smooth beats. Andrea Freddi — Clark Kent glasses;


leopards stalking the exotic rainforest scene on his Paradiso bartender’s uniform — talks me through the menu. The concepts are a tad nebulous (“Marco Polo — inspired by the compass”) but the Great Gatsby, Paradiso’s answer to the old fashioned, is sublime: 12-year-aged Macallan whisky, white truffl e honey, amaro, lavender essence, scented with vanilla and chocolate tobacco — delivered with fanfare from beneath a smoking domed cloche, like the birth of a superhero. Once settled in, I ask about the inner bar.


There are a few exchanges and then the head bartender, Federico Lombardi, smiles and says, “Come with me”. Past the loos, turning right at the kitchen and into a tiny storeroom we go. “Ready?” Federico performs some sleight of hand on the basin and a secret door springs open. If Paradiso’s main bar evokes the inside of a


whisky barrel, then this inner sanctum is more copper still, with candlelight refl ecting off the low, amber-metallic ceiling. There’s barely room for a dozen people and access is both discretionary and sought-after; when Mick Jagger was in town, Federico tells me proudly, this was where he ended up. Time for one more? In Barcelona, always.


Exiting Paradiso, I allow myself to be drawn back into the web of El Born, where suddenly every fl aking door is infused with the tap-and- whisper possibility of a speakeasy.


For centuries this quarter was the engine


room of the city, home to a melee of artisans, craftsmen and workshops. Lanes assumed the name of the craft or industry concentrated there; hence Carrer dels Mirallers — street of mirrors — where I make my fi nal and best discovery. Dr Stravinsky sits inconspicuously on a


dimly lit corner, with an arched window and dark wooden doors. Enter into the high- ceilinged burgundy-and-green space and you might fancy you’ve happened upon a laboratory or a cabinet of curiosities. Hundreds of unmarked bottles and glass


jars, beakers and cylinders line the shelves of the bar’s three levels. Mirrors, mottled and distorting, add a fl avour of the surreal. Aproned and smiling, Rita Allué guides me to the bar and then in the direction of a fatty paloma, a smoky and citrussy blend of mezcal, Cajun syrup, Padrón peppers and homemade grapefruit soda. Eighty-fi ve per cent of the ingredients


and spirits used in the bar are homemade. Branded bottles are outlawed. Only cocktails are served. If you want a beer or wine, some 1,400 other Barcelona bars await, thank you very much. “You come here for the full cocktail


experience,” explains manager Cesar Montilla. Dressed in a dark shirt with a neat red tie, and his moustache twirled into Dalí-esque points, Cesar is never happier than when chatting maturation, maceration and distillation, or debating micro-adjustments to his latest creations. “It’s all about chasing perfection,” he says


earnestly. An art form? “Totally.” He’s delighted that I’ve chanced upon


the bar as I’ve strolled through the neighbourhood. “I always say we’re hiding but also not hiding,” he says. “Some people walk by, some discover us. We’re a treasure in Barcelona’s labyrinth.”


Clockwise from top left: Ganiveteria Roca hardware shop, founded in 1911; Nobu Hotel’s rooftop pool; Pepe Gó mez has worked at La Plata since 1972; montaditos at Quimet & Quimet


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HOW HAS THE CITY’S BAR SCENE CHANGED? There’s a real focus on quality as much as quantity these days. Bars are getting more creative: with the cocktails, the speakeasy concepts, the locations and tasting menus. There’s an emphasis on doing things differently.


WHAT SURPRISES VISITORS MOST ABOUT BARCELONA’S NIGHTLIFE? The prices. Even in the most exclusive bars a glass of wine or cocktail is usually pretty reasonable. The other surprise is the number of great rooftop bars. I have to mention ours, La Terraza del Central, but I also like the one at Hotel Pulitzer, known for its DJs and live music.


WHAT’S THE BEST AREA FOR A NIGHT OUT? If you’re looking for a lot of energy, with people spilling off the beach and heading out, then the port area. Over in Upper Diagonal, Carrer de Tuset attracts a smart local crowd. I also love the tiny, atmospheric streets of El Born and the neighbouring Gothic Quarter where it’s easy to stumble across a great bar almost by mistake.


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