Salmon Guru

While it took a little time to find – Madrid is not especially old but the centro is pretty twisty – Salmon Guru was worth the effort. Sure loud, mostly 60s/70s funk. Attractive, high energy staff. Fun, eclectic kitsch in a a dark room, with elements of contemporary art and bar artifacts. And especially kooky formats for drinks that challenge the guest to figure out how to drink them. Like these:

Or like this one

The thing about Salmon Guru that distinguishes it from other high-concept, hipster attracting places is a dedication to precision. They approach their clever concept drinks with with care and time. The results are excellent. Not afraid to go strong or smoky or highly floral, they are interested in balance and result. They take from tiki like in the Dragon’s Daughter but others like the Horus managed to combine a traditional cocktail sensibility (and strength) with bright herbal notes. The Fleur du Mal integrates Dewars (!) with shochu, wine and lavender into a warm palette. We learned afterwards they were ranked 2021 as one of the world’s best 50 bars. Highly recommend. The Salmon Guru website.

Here is me, halfway into my beetle.

The second in our posts from our trip to Spain. Previous Spain post: The Anton Martin Market