Itinerary
Six stops, one evening, walkable. The night you'd take a friend on a Friday in Madrid.
17:30 — Aperitif · City centre · $$ · Cocktail Bars
1862 by Night is the upstairs late-night room of 1862 Dry Bar — opened in 2017 with a separate cocktail program built around late-night classics. Open until 4am Start polished. Order something stirred and bracing — a martini, a manhattan, or whatever the bar's house spec is. You're warming up the palate, not chasing trends.
19:00 — Cocktails · Centro · $$$ · Rooftop Bars
Azotea del Circulo de Bellas Artes draws a steady local crowd in Centro. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Now move into the city's cocktail-bar heart. Order off-menu if you can; if the bartender has a single-drink-special-of-the-week, that's the one.
20:30 — Wine break · Salamanca · $$ · Sports Bars
The Irish Rover draws a steady local crowd in Salamanca. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Hit a wine bar before the second cocktail run. Two glasses, a small plate, a reset. Keep your conversation in here — the rooms after midnight aren't for talking.
22:00 — The destination cocktail · City centre · $$ · Cocktail Bars
1862 Dry Bar opened in Malasaña and is committed to classical cocktail discipline. The bar is named for an 1862 cocktail manual and the programme follows pre-pr This is the room you booked for. Lights are lower, prices higher, drinks are tightly built. Stay an hour, no longer.
23:30 — Late-night listening · City centre · $$$ · Cocktail Bars
Angelita is Chueca's most precise natural wine and cocktail bar — opened in 2018 by former Salmon Guru bartenders. The 36-seat room is candlelit with leather ba Move to a music room. Jazz, soul, or a DJ at modest volume. You want a soundtrack, not a club.
01:00 — Last drink · Centro · $$ · Cocktail Bars
Bodegas Ricla draws a steady local crowd in Centro. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. End on something simple. A clean martini, a Negroni, a whisky and water. Tip your bartender. Walk home or take a quiet cab.
The order matters. We start polished, peak in the middle, end somewhere quieter than we started. You can swap any room for a closer alternative — every bar listed has at least two backups within a five-minute walk.
Total time: about seven hours. Total spend: depends on you, but plan £80-£150 per person across the night. Save this page, send it to whoever you're meeting, and treat the timings as guidance, not gospel.
Each stop links to the full bar page if you want to dig deeper. Treat timings as guidance — adjust to your pace.