The Aris Bar

Avenue Diagonal, 661-671
08028 Barcelona-Espana
Tel: 34-93 364 40 40
Fax: 34-93 364 42 64
E-mail: hotel@hrjuancarlos.com

by: Robert Hess

I recently had the opportunity to visit Barcelona, Spain. This was my first trip ever to Spain, and I really didn't have any idea what to expect. Since this was going to be a rather short non-cocktail oriented business trip, I knew that my opportunities for checking out the cocktail scene in Barcelona was going to be limited, plus I really didn't have any idea where to start or any local contacts that could provide me with any recommendations.

I've often found that hotel bars can be a hit-or miss affair. So it was not with a lot of hope that I headed downstairs to the bar soon after my arrival at the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos (http://www.hrjuancarlos.com). But imagine my suprise when I entered into the reasonably active bar and encountred not only a beautifully appointed, and well stocked bar, but I could also tell just by looking at the barmen that they were clearly trying to craft their libations in equisite form.

While I had taken three years of Spanish in high school, I hadn't had an opportunity to use it since, and while the barmens ability at English was far better, we still had an interesting time trying to understand each other. They were clearly far more used to the guests simply ordering their drinks, then actually engaging in technical conversations regarding mixology.

It of course did not take me too long to gain the confidence of one of the bartenders. Josep was the one that was serving me, and we quickly were comparing notes and discussing techniques which stretched the bounds of our communication abilities. We often needed to resort to writing things down on paper, and pointing to pictures in books in order to aid us in our discussions.

One of Josep's partners behind the bar was Oscar, and the two had been working together at various bars for almost 15 years now. Behind the bar they had each others motions and patterns down pat, and so it looked like a dance watching them mix up drinks for their customers without getting in each others way.

Josep mentioned to me that their typical guest usually just orders beer, or simple cocktails such as a gin & tonic, that really wouldn't stretch their abilities at all. Each one however recieves the same attention to detail and dedication to quality regardless of the drink, or the customer. One technique that I saw them use which I had previously been unfamiliar with, was when they would add a twist of lemon to a drink. Not only were their lemon twists nice and boldly wide like I prefer them, but they also would express them into the drink by using a delicate silver tong in each and, which they would use to pick up either end of the peel, and thusly twist the oils into the drink. I expect that they probably couldn't quite get as strong of a deposit using this method, but it sure was impressive to watch them.

One of the new cocktails I was introduced to at this bar, was the "Hispania Real". It was an interesting drink, with a relatively dry flavor. Here is an approximation of the recipe that was used, based on watching them make it:

Hispania Real

6 parts "Etxeko" Patx Arana 4 parts gin 1 part dry sherry

Stir with ice, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon twist.

You may notice right away the Patx Arana as being the unusual ingredient here. In Spain, this is a relatively common ingredient in some parts of Spain. It is also referred to as "Pacharan", and is made from "sloe" berries, but is a totally different product from "sloe gin".

In the "Culinaria Spain", they indicate that this sloe liqueur is popular in the Navarra region of Spain. Where it apparently has long been a home-made product. It goes on to say:

"Pacharan is very simple to make at home; sweet or semisweet spirits, with a slight flavor of aniseed, are poured into a bottle one-third full of very ripe sloes. A cinnamon stick or a few coffee beans can also be added, according to taste. The liqueur must then be left to stand for two to four months, shaking occasionally to enable the flavor of the sloes to permeate the spirits evenly."

It's always exciting to discover not only new cocktails, but new and unusual ingredients as well. I know that if I ever find myself in Barcelona, the Aris bar will be top on my list to check out.