Angelita

Address: Calle de la Reina, 4, Centro, Madrid, 28004, Spain
Website: view Angelita’s website
Instagram: @madridangelita
Facebook: view Angelita’s Facebook page

Door: Open door/walk-ins
Style: Cocktail bar
Recommended for: After work drinks, Cocktail hour, Cocktails, Special night out

The cocktail bar is tucked away beneath the wine bar and restaurant. It's a family affair, David Villalón serves natural wines and dishes based on produce from the family farm upstairs while his brother Mario operates this cutting-edge bar below.
The shelves behind the bar are striking for holding more jars of powered acids than alcohol. Indeed, the only bottles are the bar's own four distillates and four bottled cocktails. The lab vessels, rotavap and other equipment below also set this bar apart. When I mentioned the lack of bottles to Max, our host, he explained their desire to eliminate such visual pollution.

The cocktail menu is also strikingly different, with each cocktail named after its key ingredients. For example, my first cocktail, "Sea Lettuce and Clams", is made with Palomino Fino wine, clam distillate, sea lettuce cucumber, mint, carrot stems and cilantro.

My favourite cocktail from Angelita was an off-menu Whiskey Sour, recommended by Max, our bartender. It is best described as a bourbon whisky sour meets Paper Plane, made without citrus and with Angelita's house-made amaro, which is 30% alc./vol. and with only 10% sugar.

To enjoy Angelica, you'll need an open mind and a sense of adventure, but the friendly, attentive staff will ease your journey.