We left Kokaxta about 5pm all feeling wonderfully satisfied and wondering where on this sunny afternoon it was appropriate to take our newly formed girl band. On recommendation from the same friend we headed across the river to Gintonneria, which specialises in, yes you’ve guessed it Gin and tonic. Spain is one of the world biggest consumers of gin and while we are getting better, they just excel at it. No small slim Jim with a sorry looking piece of lemon would last muster here. Find come in voluminous stemmed bowls, with botanicals and any number of tonics available, yes more than just schwepps and fever tree.
The menu offers over 120 gins from around the world and about 15 different tonics to accompany them. Given such a huge choice I was a little overwhelmed and decided to get some help from a professional.
Firstly I had to pick a type of gin, aromatic, floral, spicy, herbal. I opted for spicy as I couldn’t quite imagine what that would entail. Our glasses were smoked, botanicals added, citrus peels spritzed and oils misted on the rims of glasses before they were sprayed with some magical elixir. This is the result and it was sensational, the care and attention that goes into making them is apparent in every drop. Band mates three and four opted for this beautiful cocktail, don’t ask me what it was, due to above mentioned procrastination I’m writing this much after the fact. If you visit the menu has pictures so you’ll be able to find it.
After a few hours here we headed back to the old town and squeezed ourselves into serval pintoxs bar and eating yet more, blow your mind delights.
Around 10.30 we decided to try to locate ‘Friends’ apparently the best club in the town, I’m sure had we really put our minds to it we would have found it but we are easily distracted. A flyer promising two for one drinks was thrust into your hands and the proximity of said bar, a mere four doors away won out instantly.
Standing outside, with a drag queen in full flamenco and a young Spanish girl in similar getup but not pulling it off nearly so well, cigarettes were extinguished and we were told take your time, don’t rush. In our excitement we did and found ourselves downstairs in an empty bar, when I say empty I mean post apocalypse, no staff nothing! Most people at this point would think, ‘let’s go, find somewhere with atmosphere, and well other people’ not least a party where there of the four are single. Not us, oh no, we’d found our homecoming, we’d own this place and oh dear we did.
Suffice to say the bar filled up, and we made the most of our two for one drinks, befriended the owner, the drag queen in flamenco and most of the people that came that night and never looked back. And while I loved Kokaxta I also loved the prosciutto, cheese and crackers we were given in the club on plastic plates at 2.30am, variety truly is the spice of life.