Speakeasy: Dry Martini

March 2, 2015

Barcelona

From the outside, Dry Martini looks closed. I was stood on the corner of a thirsty street in the centre of Barcelona peering in through a thick window. It was so thick, that I couldn’t possibly see inside.
I dared to go through and found myself in a plush lounge complete with a pristine wooden bar. I was greeted by Isabel, a well-groomed skinny Spanish woman who emitted this electric energy that sent me into a state of ease. She welcomed me with two polite kisses on the cheek and guided me around the beautiful bar in which she worked as an assistant.
 
This bar is Javier De Las Muelas’ pride and joy. He is a respected and treasured bartender that is known across the world and he chooses Dry Martini as his home. I could see why as I was taken through the secret wine cellar, full with white clothed tables, ready to serve lunch to the most respectable of business men and women. 
The layout is extremely spacious with three big rooms, each with a different side to Javier’s personality. Isabel chattered away about their cocktail experiments and the collection of books he keeps behind the bar. Each one looks used and old. I imagined the dusty smell that worn books give and it reminded me of home comforts.
 

Isabel led me back to the main room where she’s reserved a space for me to sit. Before parting, she kindly gave me a gift in the form of Javier’s book. What a fabulously delightful woman she was! As I waited for a cocktail, I spied a man down on his knees scrubbing the shoes of another suited man whilst he drank from a glass tumbler. It reminded me of the old world, and how chimney boys and shoe shiners were common amongst the working class. These professions had become out-dated long ago, so I was startled to see such an exhibition. I wondered how much he got paid as I sipped from my martini glass.
 
I pestered the immaculately dressed barman for ingredients to the fabulous cocktail called The Foxtrot, which Isabel had told me was “very innovating”. It was made with his signature gimlet (gin and lime cocktail) which sunk underneath the tonic water. It was refreshing and a perfect example of why Javier had become so renowned for his drinks.
As time drew on, I left to catch the last of the Spanish sun. Away from the class and soothing sounds of jazz, Dry Martini will forever be a beautiful moment of my past.

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