The Alchemix – Bar Review | Condé Nast Traveler

"So, can you tell us a little about this place? Every cocktail bar should have an Ignacio, The Alchemix's ponytailed, martial arts fanatic who trained his drinks team to greet, seat, and flash a smile at everyone who walks in. Some sit on stools at the moodily lit bar; others walk to the modern tasting-menu restaurant at the back, where a cocktail theme runs throughout the meal. But it’s the backstory that builds the vibe here. Founder Ignacio Ussía worked at  Bangkok ’s famed  Gaggan before learning pastry-making at Barcelona’s Hofmann Patisserie (the best croissant in town). In 2018, he and Chef Sergi Palacin (a former colleague from the Gaggan days) opened this Asian-Mediterranean restaurant and bar. In 2021, Ussía took over the reins single handedly. What's the crowd like? In the restaurant: groups of locals energetically chinking glasses on business-meets-pleasure engagements and couples discreetly drinking in the mood. In the bar: tourists who've topped their 10,000 daily steps by 1 p.m. (blame Gaudí). What does the bar do best? Don’t expect a long drinks list, nor any umbrella-topped classics. Instead, the core menu consists of a series of cocktails that play on texture—foam, smoke, crushed ice, glazes, and even caviar. For just the right amount of theater, Mrs. Pots & Little Chip—an icy, gin-based tipple inspired by Beauty and the Beast —is served from a smoking teapot that emits the scent of rose, lychee, and hibiscus. The taste isn’t twee; rather, it’s bittersweet perfection. Anything good to eat, too? Alchemix is more than a bar, it also more than holds its own as a restaurant. Following the departure of Sergi Palacin, chef Juanan Vizcaíno was brought on board to create an experience based around two Mediterranean-Asian tasting menus where every meets its match in a drink (wine or a cocktail). Gaggan’s influence is never far away—like in “From Bangkok to Barcelona,” a brioche filled with Thai-style Iberian pork jowl with sticky rice cream, paired with a “False beer,” a mini beer jug brimming with bourbon, mead, apple, malted barley syrup and toasted beer foam. How's the service? The team is a class act. Consummate professionals who know their stuff, they're attentive in a useful, not overbearing, way. Why would you recommend this place? Come for high-quality, well-crafted cocktails where you can see (and savor) the time dedicated to their conception. The Alchemix isn’t a chug-down-a-beer bar; you'll want to treat your drink like a pricey meal: sip it, mix it, and enjoy the theater." - Gemma Askham