Gin & Tonic & Variations

Every new bar has to have a gimmick if it hopes to capture the New York drinking public's fickle attention these days. Bar Celona, a swanky new Spanish tapas lounge in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has found a good one, and one that makes sense, too, in context.

Do you know what Spaniards love to drink most? No, not sangria. Gin. Spain is Beefeater's biggest outside market. The Spanish suck down Gin & Tonics all year long. Tad Carducci and Paul Tanguay of The Tippling Bros., which designed Bar Celona's drink menu, have capitalized on this national obsession. There is an entire category on the Bar Celona cocktail menu called "G y Ts."

“We translated Bar Celona’s ambitious culinary vision into something equally compelling on the cocktail side,” said Tad Carducci. “We’ve brought together cocktails popular in Spain, as well as totally new drinks using Spanish and Latin ingredients, and have given them a playful and memorable spin.”

Here's the menu:

G y T’s

Murcielago
Beefeater 24, amontillado sherry, lemon, sugar, Q tonic.

Sea Monkey
Plymouth gin, celery/apple juice, lemon, Anise del Mono, Fever Tree tonic water, fennel salt

Tomas el Gato
Hayman’s Old Tom gin, Averna, strawberries, lime BC house tonic.

El Prado
Tanqueray #10, pineapple syrup, mint, Valencia orange, BC house tonic

Salvador’s Watch
Beefeater gin, muddled grapefruit, Pacharan, Bitter Kas

Nice to see them varying the gin from drink to drink. Each has some appeal for me, except maybe the El Prado. (Tanq #10 ain't my thing; too vodka-like.) Nice array of tonic choices, too. I'm refreshed just looking at the list.