Editorial
The 9 best after work bars in Madrid run on vermouth. The city pours vermut de grifo from the barrel before lunch and again in the early evening, over ice with an olive and a splash of soda. We chose the tabernas and modern rooms that do the ritual properly, from Malasana to the old centre.
Madrid drinks its first round standing, and these counters have poured the same way for decades.
A newer set keeps the early hour going with natural wine, beer on tap, and a plate of tortilla to carry you to dinner.
Start at Casa Camacho for the Yayo and the standing room, then walk to Viva Madrid for the tiled grandeur. If you want a seat and a longer glass, La Concha and Santos y Desamparados hold the calm. Eat the tortilla, pace the vermouth, and remember dinner does not start until ten.
Priya Nair is barsforKings' senior cocktail editor and a former Punch contributor. She reads a bar by its menu first: how the list is built, the house spirits, and the one drink worth ordering.