The Best Vermouth Bars in Madrid: Drink The Day Away On Your Next Vacay
Heading to the Spanish capital and trying to find Madrid’s best vermouth bars so you can make sure you hit the best booze spots in the city without missing any? We got you.
Caleb and I are borderline obsessed with Spanish vermouth. I am looking at 3 bottles on my counter right now because we travel to Madrid with space in our suitcase just because we know we’re going to need space to bring back bottles. We’ve drank it all over Madrid and knew exactly where to get it.
In our opinion, the 3 best vermouth bars in Madrid are Taberna La Concha, La Sastreria, and Vermuteria La Bolita Negra. In this guide, we’ll share all 9 places we recommend with some insider tips so you can choose the spots that sound the best for you guys as a couple.
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Let’s dive in, starting with a video of some of the bars on this list so you can get a sense of the vibe!
1. Taberna La Concha
If you only have a short time in Madrid, like a weekend, and have to choose one place to have vermouth, please choose La Concha. This tiny little tapas/vermouth bar on one of Madrid’s most famous tapas streets has been Caleb’s and my favorite for 3 years running.
The owner is a vermouth producer and created his own house brand called “La Concha.” While he shouldn’t put “creative namer” on his resume, he sure can put “amazing vermouth producer!” His artisanal vermouth cocktail, the Manuela, is named after his daughter (creativity strike 2), and it’s served in a martini glass with a little gin and Campari.
We like it so much that we always bring it home and even make the vermouth with gin and Campari just like they do.
Good To Know: We have found the red vermouth to be better than the white vermouth, and the waiters have been less than friendly to us during the day. We recommend visiting at night because they’re always wonderful to us then and you’ll have a great experience.
Also, the tapas here are EXCELLENT. We dream of the Thai fish curry balls.
Address: C. de la Cava Baja, 7, Centro, 28005 Madrid, Spain
2. La Sastreria
You’ll have to travel a little outside Madrid city center to the residential Chamberi district for this one, but it’s worth the walk. On the corner of the popular local tapas street, you’ll find this TINY vermoutheria that is a major hidden gem.
When we were there, they had 8 different kinds of vermouth on taps ranging from red to white and many more. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder with locals and had some absolutely INCREDIBLE house vermouth.
Good To Know: They also specialize in pickles and “Gilda” (skewers with pickled items and fish like anchovies) as well as mussels. But, other than that, no food here. We recommend you come here for a drink after you do a tapas crawl down Calle Ponzano.
Address: C/ Bretón de los Herreros, No 17, 28003 Madrid
3. Vermuteria La Bolita Negra
If you walk down Calle Cava Baja on a weekend, you’ll see that this place is PACKED with locals. We like this tiny vermouth bar because the vermouth de grifo (which means vermouth on tap) is SO delicious with hints of balsamic vinegar and cinnamon. They also have about 10 or so other vermouth brands that you can try if you don’t like their house vermouth.
I did try their artisanal vermouth cocktail, which is similar to Taberna La Conchas Manuela, and did not enjoy it as much as La Concha, as an FYI.
Good to know: they also specialize in croquettes, one of the best things to eat in Madrid, and we found them perfectly crispy and not greasy. We think you should try the mushroom version, which is washed down with some vermouth on tap.
Address: C. de la Cava Baja, 34, Centro, 28005 Madrid, Spain
4. Casa Gerardo
While the waiter might not be winning any “friendly to tourist” awards here (we barely got a grunt of a hello), they don’t call it the “wine warehouse” for nothing. This small bar was founded in 1957, and you’ll feel its age when you walk in with its tiled counters and old, dark wooden bar.
Their vermouth on tap is EXCELLENT paired with the HUGE variety of Spanish cheese that they have here. If you can get it before it runs out for the day, we recommend having the sobrasada (Mallorcan pork sausage) toast with manchego cheese.
Good To Know: if one of you isn’t really into vermouth, this is the place for you because it also has a MASSIVE selection of Spanish wine by the glass.
Address: Calle Calatrava 21, 28005 Madrid Spain
5. Casa Camacho
If you’re looking to have an authentic, local (read: kinda nuts in a fun way) vermouth experience in Madrid, look no further than Casa Camacho. Whenever we go to this ancient 1920s vermouth bar, it’s always like being in a sardine can.
The bar is so cramped that you have to do a limbo under the bar counter to get to the bathroom, and, yes, you’ll see annoying tourists trying to take all kinds of videos of it to post on their Instagram.
Good To Know: There isn’t a wide range of vermouth: you can get plain vermouth with some soda or their “yayo,” which is what they are known for. It’s vermouth mixed with soda water and some gin. I love it, but Caleb prefers vermouth without the fixins.
Address: Calle de San Andrés, 4, Centro, 28004 Madrid, Spain
6. Bodega La Ardosa
La Ardosa is ancient, and the clients are as loyal to this packed bar as it is old. When you walk in and see the dusty bottles lining the walls, you’ll be like, “Yeah, I believe this place has been around since 1892.)Elderly men, young hipsters and us love the house vermouth that we felt tasted a little licorice-y and was thicker than most.
Good to Know: This young but traditional spot has some award-winning tapas, and we love the “vermouth and anchovy” deal, where you get both for around $3. Warning, though: the anchovy is the saltiest one we’ve ever had! Maybe you should order 2 glasses to wash it down. Shucks. 😏
Address: C. de Colón, 13, Centro, 28004 Madrid, Spain
7. La Violeta
Another spot where you’ll have to trek to Chamberi, but it’s SO worth it. This epically-authentic, local spot is frequented mostly by younger people and has more than 30 different vermouths you can try (!!!)
We love that they group them by red, white, and reserve (like our version of “top shelf”) and even grade them from bitterness to sweetness.
Address: C. de Vallehermoso, 62, Chamberí, 28015 Madrid, Spain
8. El Anciano Rey de Los Vinos
When a bar’s name translates to “the old king of wines,” you know you’re in for a treat. This spot is a little more expensive and touristy (it is next to the royal palace, after all), but the vermouth on tap is sweet, a little salty, and perfectly spiced. It makes a great stop after you visit the palace during your Madrid itinerary!
Good to Know: they are equally known for their stewed bull tail (rabo del toro) in crispy puff pastry, and you have to try it. The sauce is thick and sweet, and Caleb and I agreed that it might be the best thing we’ve ever paired with vermouth.
Address: C. de Bailén, 19, Centro, 28013 Madrid, Spain
We were introduced to this spot on this epic food tour! If you want to make sure to get some of the best vermouth and food at the same time without worrying about planning or making reservations, this tour is for you!
>>click here to check prices, ratings and availability!<<
9. Madrid & Darracott
Chances are that you’ve never heard of this spot when looking for the best vermouth in Madrid because it’s not *technically* a vermouth bar but a place where you can do EPIC vermouth tastings. Caleb and I booked one of their weekly tastings and got to try 4 very different and unique vermouths with VERY generous pours!
We absolutely recommend going here if you’re not really sure what vermouth you like – we learned SO much and brought two bottles home!
Good To Know: They also have a small area in the back where you can go just get one glass of whatever they have open if you don’t want to do the full tasting.
Address: Calle del Conde de Romanones, 2, Centro, 28012 Madrid, Spain
After Finding The Best Vermouth Bars in Madrid, Do This:
While there are hundreds of amazing vermouth bars in Madrid, we recommend you check out the 9 on this list. If you can only choose one or two, make sure it’s Taberna La Concha and La Sastreria because Caleb and I both agree that their vermouth is so tasty your tastebuds might fall off your head.
After you figure out where to drink vermouth, you need to make sure that you drink it properly and like a local so you don’t look like a lame tourist. We put everything you need to know in our guide to drinking vermouth in Spain!
Or, check out our ultimate guide to best Madrid Food tour so you can drink at some of the best vermouth places in one evening while eating some of the best food!
So, what spots do you want to check out?
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