The Madrid edition welcomes the world’s 50 best bars for a five-day celebration

Madrid, the capital of Spain, is known for its storied history, stunning architecture and rich culture, but the biggest attraction may simply be the buffet of top-notch food and drink. New to the scene, The Madrid Edition opened three years ago, but has already established itself as a multi-tasking watering hole for the chic and the hungry. In fact, they’ve gone so far as to become an official hotel partner The world’s top 50 awards for 2024 with far-reaching consequences. “This experience for the Madrid publication is a kind of big success story for the brand. To go from a hotel that’s not even open and become a World 50 host in less than three years is remarkable.” Speaks Gates Otsuji, Global Director of Bars, Luxury Brands. “Everyone comes together, and not just departmentally, but from the very beginning, from the very beginning they stick together. Develop a plan and define a strategy to achieve these goals. The reality is that this planning took three years.”

Award-winning and world’s best bartenders such as Giacomo Giannotti of Paradiso, Harrison Ginsberg of Overstory, Alonso Palomino of Lady Bee and many others were on duty as guests in every corner of the hotel, including the lobby bar. The events lasted five days and covered the entire hotel. Notable guests included Julie Reiner and Izzy Tulloch from Milady’s, Christina Rasmussen and Sasha Vigidessa from FURA, Eli Martinez from Tlekanand Takuma Watanabe from Martini. If Madrid being one of the hubs of the cocktail world may come as a surprise, Otsuji has a pretty good explanation for the seismic shift.

“This is a really important moment for the Madrid edition to shine and we wanted to work with some of the people who hosted us. For example, let’s work with some of our friends and do a series of activations. It’s a huge scene and how do we share it with the people we believe in? We felt like there were different people we could collaborate with and different parts of the stage we could put them on. You have to be open to inspiration from outside the region while still finding that balance of locals that make things relevant to the hotel. The main thing we have is the lobby bar, and everyone has access to the lobby bar.”

The hotel features the Market Restaurant and Oroya, a Peruvian restaurant led by award-winning world-class chef Diego Muñoz. Here you’ll find a culinary scene with plenty of local jamon, manchego, sumptuous chorizo, gambas and other dishes inspired by the eclectic Spanish culinary traditions. Beyond the super popular bar and nightclub concepts, there’s Mistica, which has its own dedicated following.

“After Covid there were so many bartenders who left the world’s capitals, especially London after Brexit, not only did they not want to come back, but they couldn’t come back, and many of them returned to Madrid.” Otsuji speaking. “It really helped make the Madrid scene.”

Activations and pop-ups strengthen not only friendships, but also connections to the craft. Otsuji remembers helping fellow mixologist Julie Reiner of Milady’s and Clover Club make her Punch Room offering called “Good Pear” and how it was simple and fresh tasting and tasted like, well, a pear.

“Sometimes I don’t think a cocktail needs to be very complex to be good. There is no need to complicate the task too much. Sometimes you just follow the rules and get a clean and fresh result. And: “Oh, this tastes exactly what I want.”

Punch is a kind of calling card for a hotel brand. The London Edition opened the first Punch Room in 2013 and has embraced the growing trend of upscale hotel bars with a unique fingerprint. The Punch Room concept then expanded to other properties in 2018: Shanghai and Barcelona, ​​followed by Madrid and Tampa in 2022, and then Rome, Singapore and Ginza in 2023.

However, punch is more than a drink. This is an immersion in our heritage, culinary and otherwise, as a people. “Using Punch as an example, you can delve into different parts of history.” Otsuji speaking. “Look at the world map. There is a strip in the middle of the tropics where all the sugar and ingredients are grown. The history of distilling comes from this part of the world, so bring it to the local regions and learn about cultural practices and culinary techniques. How did each region begin distilling and then create a menu to suit each region?”

The spirit of Edition as a whole seems to care more about how something feels; the room, the drink, the warm and fuzzy feel of a knitted blanket, including how this affects its appearance. That’s why the focus is on sophisticated public spaces, designed to serve the experience rather than force something. Of course, no hotel stay would be complete without a welcome drink that is authentic to its surroundings. “You want the first point of contact to be the best where you are: so in Madrid it’s vermouth and sherry, local seasonal produce and cooking, and just Madrid’s post-Covid way of rising to the top of Europe.” Otsuji explains.

It really is that simple and he should know. This is not his first rodeo. “Last year we opened a hotel in Singapore, and Singapore was a huge shopping center. All these cultures come together with such a rich history. The narrative is in the story and in the punch itself. When we went to open the Singapore edition, we learned a lot.”

While the extensive series of events to announce the World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 may have just passed, the hotel’s possibilities are not yet exhausted, and there are many more to come. Including the most surprisingly good drink Otsuji had tasted all week. “If you had told me two days ago that I wanted a jellyfish martini…”