Boadas - La cocktelería más antigua de Barcelo

Opened all the way back in 1933, this art deco cocktail bar is the oldest in the city. Located not far off the Ramblas, it caters to a cool, artsy and often moneyed crowd and of course the regulars. The founder learned his trade at Hemmingway's Floridita Bar in Havana and passed on that happy, cocktail-in-the-morning feel to his family, who now run the place.

The tuxedoed bar staff are happy to prepare you something classic or try the cocktail of the day. There's a good range of spirits on offer (including some good English gins) and the daiquiri comes particularly recommended by those in the know. Drinks and stylish patrons aside, there's plenty to distract you while you drink: the eclectic collection of art and letters on the wall includes Miro sketches as well as some contributions from more recent celebrities.

It's not a bar that is catering for the backpack crowd: while you don't have to be dressed to the nines, they won't thank you for turning up looking scruffy, so best to be smart after all, you have all that gorgeous art to live up to. Its location makes it an ideal start-of-the-night venue: many of the patrons come here for a drink to kickstart their night, and later it gets a bit livelier and more crowded.

http://boadascocktails.com/

http://www.worldsbestbars.com/spain/barcelona/boadas