Casa Bacardi

Casa Bacardi

A couple of weeks ago we had a great time at Casa Bacardi and we wanted to tell you everything about it. This fun and interactive museum of the world’s famous rum is located in the charming city of Sitges just 20 minutes south of Barcelona.

Casa Bacardi was established in the historical centre of Sitges just a few steps from the beach. The “modernista” building stands out because of it’s size and the white outside terrace with Bacardi logos all over it.

Now most of you are probably asking yourself the following question: What does Bacardi have to do with Sitges? Well, it turns out this little city of the province of Barcelona was the place of birth of Facundo Bacardi i Masso – the founder of the rum distillery and brand.

 

Still as a teenager, Facundo decided to follow the footsteps of his older brothers and seek prosperity and wealth in the “new world”, namely Cuba. However the road to success was not easy as he struggled and led two businesses into bankruptcy prior to engaging in rum production. Bacardi’s perseverance and creativity finally paid of when in 1862 along with his partners he acquired a distillery and constituted “Bacardi, Boutellier and Company”. They started to produce a refined and tamer drink (result of quicker-fermenting cognac yeast, oak barrel ageing and charcoal filtration) that was quiet unique at the time as were Facundo’s innovative branding strategies including the iconic bat logo (symbol of prosperity, optimism and family union).

But let’s go back to the visit and tour which is very enjoyable. It consists of 3 stages; the heritage room where we learn all about the fascinating history of Bacardi, the elaboration space in which we were shown in detail all the stages of rum production (tasting included) and finally the lounge bar. At the lovely bar we were greeted by two professional bartenders that first showed us how to do cocktails like; Mojito, Cuba libre or Daiquiri and then provided us with all the necessary tools and assistance so that we can do our own chosen cocktail which we then together enjoyed.

Have you ever wondered where does the cocktail name “Cuba libre” come from? This is something we also learned during the tour and we’ll be happy to share it in our next blog!

Ensaladilla rusa

Ensaladilla rusa

Many of you have probably ask yourself when in Spain what is this “ensaladilla rusa” (Russian salad) that is served in almost every restaurant and bar? Most importantly why they call it Russian!?

Ensaladilla rusa is today a classic and one of the most typical Spanish tapas. Many places claim to have the best recipe and make the most delicious Russian salad but what exactly is it and where does it come from?

Originally the Russian salad was called “hunting mayonnaise” and later “salad Olivye” in honor of the Belgian chef Lucien Olivier who towards the end of the 19th century ran a high-end restaurant in Moscow, Russia. The original recipe included; grouse and partridge meat, aspic, crab, possibly caviar, beef tongue and truffle apart from lettuce, pickles, potatoes and olives. All of these ingredients where wrapped up in a sauce that Olivier never unveiled and took with him to the grave. The sauce is imitated these days based on mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, mustard and soy sauce.

Olivier’s restaurant “Hermitage” closed during the Russian Revolution in 1917 and from that point on the ingredients of the original salad changed. The USSR wanted to eliminate everything related to aristocracy and therefore the refined ingredients of Olivier’s salad where replaced with chicken, ham, potatoes, carrots, peas and boiled eggs besides the only mayonnaise available in Russian shops.

However the story doesn’t end here and is not as simple as it seems. Apparently when Lucien Olivier was still a baby a Russian salad recipe appeared in The Modern Cook book in England. Queen Victoria’s British Italian chef Charles Elme Francatelli created a salad with lobster, anchovies, crab, olives and red mayonnaise mixed with vegetables like potatoes, carrots, peas etc. But the story goes even further – Francatelli adapted this recipe from his professor Antoine Careme who cooked for; Napoleon, Tsar Alexander or Baron Rotschild among others. In 1815 he published a book where he describes a salad with boiled vegetables and mayonnaise… Sounds familiar?

This dish first appears in Spain with a known french cook book in 1856 with the name of “Ensaladilla rusa”. From that moment on the Russian “ensaladilla” has suffered many changes, specially during the Spanish Civil War when the high-end ingredients were replaced by canned tuna or tuna belly.

Today the recipe of this typical tapa has become very minimalist and it mainly consist of; carrots, potatoes, peas, tuna, mayonnaise, olives and capers.

There are many places in Barcelona that offer good “ensaladilla rusa” however we believe that the ones worth mentioning are; Bodega 1900, BarBas and Lolita Taperia. Make sure you visit them when you are in town!

 

Emporda wine region II

Emporda wine region II

At the beginning of May we posted an article about the Baix (low) Emporda region which is part of the Denominacion de Origen (D.O.) Emporda. Since then we were able to go back and visit the Alt (high) Emporda and we are ready to tell you everything about it.

The upper part of the Emporda region is located in the north east corner of Catalonia. Actually the furthest point to the east of the Iberian Peninsula is Cap de Creus precisely in the Alt Emporda. Bordering France from the north the capital of this region is Figueres, a city known for being home to the amazing Salvador Dali Museum.

The first vineyard we were scheduled to visit during this journey was Martin Faixo. This family run estate took our breath away the moment we arrived there; it’s located in the hills half way from Roses to the famous town of Cadaques right in the Cap de Creus Natural Park.

The cellar, production and other facilities are in a charming house from the 14th century restored in 2004. Our visit was really nice and we were treated and felt like part of the family (which by the way during the vintage gathers 3 generations to work together). After a quick tasting we decided to enjoy the views of Cap de Creus and then have lunch in the their restaurant in Cadaques – Can Rafa. What a great choice that was! Delicious and fresh fish and seafood with of course a selection of Martin Faixo wines.

The next day we visited La Vinyeta. This young and dynamic project was started over 10 years ago by a young couple who decided to purchase land just outside of the little village of Mollet de Peralada and make this their life project.

We were lucky to have the owner Marta to be our guide, wine expert and tell us everything about this interesting journey they embarked.

Their approach towards wine production from the technical point of view is incredible which is reflected in the various lines of wines they offer. Another amazing feature that shows their dedication and how much they care about the product is the visual aspect of the labels – each with a different and unique story.

To wrap up our visit we sat down and had the picnic that they offer – highly recommendable! We enjoyed local and organic products (like the olive oil from the estate) along with great wines. Since it was really hot that day I specially remember and recommend their white Heus – very refreshing and balanced with hints of tropical fruits like pineapple.

Going back to Barcelona after these great experiences wasn’t easy however we manage to bring a selection of wines form the vineyards we visited that made the following days more pleasant.

Monvinic – wine bar and restaurant

Monvinic – wine bar and restaurant

A couple of weeks ago along with Michele we hosted some special guests that were in Barcelona for a workshop with their company. This fun group of different nationalities had some serious wine and food lovers onboard. Based on the information we were given about their stay in our city we decided the restaurant Monvinic is the place to go.

This renowned wine bar and restaurant has an excellent opinion and we wanted to go there ever since we heard that in late 2016 there have been new additions in the kitchen.

Monvinic has been described by the Wall Street Journal or Financial Times as one of the best wine bars in the world – enough said. The decor is sober yet cosy and the personnel is very kind and attentive. However besides being really nice we cannot overlook the vast knowledge that everybody working in Monvinic has about wines – simply impressive. Some of the waiters may have not been 30 years old and they knew specifics about randomly picked wines from different parts of the world and regions that we pointed. As a side note please keep in mind that they have a selection of almost 4000 wines!

The food was delicious. We had a couple of starters to share like the green asparagus or the pigeon cooked two ways which besides being very tasty was beautifully presented. As for the main course after some discussions we were convinced to try the beef shank and that certainly did not disappoint! What an outstanding and perfectly cooked piece of meat…

It was great to be among wine lovers and a very helpful and knowledgeable staff as the pairing with the wines was great. I would definitely point out the wine from the D.O.C. Priorat in Catalonia and the white Slovenian as very good and interesting. Please find below the full list of wines that we picked;

-CAN FEIXES, D.O. Cava, Huguet Brut Nature Gran Reserva, 2007, Parellada (Macabeu, Pinot Noir).

-Bodegas TRADICION, Jerez (Fino), saca de octubre 2014, Palomino Fino.

-Clos FIGUERES, D.O.C. Priorat, Serras del Priorat, 2014, Garnatxa (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cariñena)

-SUTOR, Vipavska Dolina (Slovenia), Chardonnay, 2012.

Speaking about the selected wines, as we were leaving this amazing place the lovely sommelier at the exit gave us a note with the list of wines we had and the food we ate – a great touch for a fantastic place which more of a dinner turned out to be a wonderful experience.

Emporda wine region

Emporda wine region

Last Saturday we embarked on a two day wine tour to the lovely region of Emporda (D.O. Emporda is actually the wine region/appellation) by the Costa Brava just over an hour north of Barcelona.

Wine was introduced in Catalonia back in the 6th century B.C. through the most important greek colony in the area – Empuries. This settlement with time became eventually the place that gave the name to the whole region of Emporda.
Today l’Emporda is divided in two parts; Baix (low) and Alt (high). On this trip we focused on the “low” – south area closer to Barcelona and the vineyards around there.

We left on Saturday shortly after midday. It took us about an hour and a half from the city centre of Barcelona to get to our first winery – Clos d’Agon where we were greeted by the lovely Viviana. The tour started with a brief explanation of the project and the estate which is located in the Gavarres National Park and occupies a little over 40ha (17 used for vines). The owners are from France which is reflected in the type of grapes that they grow (Merlot, Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon among others). During the visit to the winery and cellars we learned that one of the oenologists is the famous Peter Sisseck who is responsible for the “cult” wine Dominio de Pingus. After the visit it was time for a nice and relaxed tasting on the terrace of the winery overlooking the vineyards. We got to taste their Amic series wines (one got the gold medal from Viniari d’or as best Catalan rose in 2016) and Clos d’Agon line which has great red from different vintages.

That night we stayed at a charming boutique hotel close to the beach with a great restaurant run by  Michelin Star chefs who appreciate and make use of the local products. The location of the hotel also allowed us to do some hiking the next morning in the woods by the beautiful coastline.

After a late breakfast we had scheduled to visit the incredible Celler Bell Lloc. This small estate is owned by swiss philanthropists Kurt and Carmen who have definitely  created a special place with a beautiful philosophy.
Bell Lloc (which means beautiful place in catalan) is part of the Brugarol group that besides the winery manages a couple of houses and apartments to rent within the property, a restaurant and special events like intimate weddings.
The cellar is built underneath the vineyards and it’s a masterpiece of design developed by the architectural firm RCR Aranda Pigem Vilalta Arquitectos. A perfectly integrated and functional place built from steel out of old commercial vessels.
However not only the design of the cellars cause an immediate impression but also the fact that this estate elaborates almost every product served in their restaurant themselves! Besides the organic wines, Bell Lloc does delicious varieties of olive oils, marmalade from the fruits and vegetables they grow, cheeses from their goats or cold cuts from their Iberian pigs.
The wines we tasted with our meal after the visit were very good, specially the 2010 red Crianza. What we all found fascinating were the labels on the bottles – there were none! The owner – Kurt – wants people to judge his wine by the taste and not the label, therefore the bottles are clean and all the information can be found attached to the neck on a very cool piece of steel taken from parts of the materials used to built the cellar.

Before heading back to Barcelona, we still paid a quick visit to a very small local producer (farmer) within the town of Calonge. We know Joan (the owner) for many years now as we like his brave red wine which he sells to the local community and neighbours. However we’ll tell you more about this in our next blog about Emporda. We are certainly coming back to this great wine region.

La Bomba

La Bomba

La Bomba is one of the most popular and delicious tapas in Spain. A potato ball filled with meat, deep fried and served with a special spicy sauce.

Although currently la bomba can be found in bars and bodegas all over Spain it is probably one of the most typical tapas from Barcelona.
The concept originated in the former fisherman neighbourhood of La Barceloneta, located in the district of the Old Town of Barcelona. La Barceloneta was built in the 18th century when people from the Ribera neighbourhood were forced to leave as their houses were demolished to make way for the construction of a Citadel ordered by the king Felipe V.

Barceloneta became a working class neighbourhood during the industrial revolution as many factories were located in this area in the 19th century. In the 1950’s a small bar called La Cova Fumada decided to adapt to the necessities of customers who visited them before going to work and build up their small bites (tapas). This is how la bomba was created between 1955 and 1956.

The name of this delicious tapa came from a neighbour who was participating in the tasting, trials and tests of the bomba. Apparently when served one of the final versions he exclaimed “Wow! This is a bomb!” making reference to the spiciness of the sauce served on top.
If you visit La Cova Fumada (managed these days by the 4th generation of the same family) you will find different options for the sauce; aioli (garlic and olive oil), spicy and very spicy. There is no doubt that one of the secrets of this amazing treat is the sauce and Cova Fumada certainly gets it right.

Barcelona offers today a wide range of places that serve delicious bombas. We have to mention La Bombeta (that actually claims they were the first to serve it) or the more elegant and modern La Mar Salada both in the Barceloneta neighbourhood.
At Barcelona Ambassadors we are big fans of how our friends at Lolita Taperia prepare their bombas. We also like to order this tapa in the classic bodega La Pubilla del Taulat in the Poblenou neighbourhood.

If you are a real foodie or just like to try local specialties you cannot miss this incredible tapa when in Barcelona. Make sure you mention it when booking one of our Food & Wine tours.