Harrison 1933

Harrison 1933 takes its name from the Cullen Harrison Act, the law that restarted legal drinking in America, and pours that story across two floors at Calle de Recoletos 16. The city tourism board esMadrid describes the upstairs as a chic Las Vegas hotel bar with the counter as the focal point.

The ground floor swaps polish for exposed brick and splits into rooms for live jazz and DJ sessions. The split personality is the point, start upstairs for the serious drink, end downstairs when the band starts.

Every cocktail on the list is built around a famous personality, with prices holding at 13 to 20 euro, standard for the Salamanca border. The bartenders earn their keep, the presentation runs extraordinary without slipping into gimmick.

The crowd skews 20s and 30s, dressed for the barrio, and the room fills fast on weekends. Google has it at 4.6 across 613 reviews, rare air for a cocktail room this busy.

Time Out Madrid includes it among the best bars in the city, and the early evening seat upstairs is the way in. See our Madrid cocktail bars guide, the full Madrid bar guide, and the near me bar finder.

Thursday through Saturday from 8pm catches both floors working, the upstairs bar first, then the live jazz below. Come before 9pm to hold a seat.

Early weeknights are the bartender's hours, when the personality menu gets full attention and the room stays conversational.