Madrid’s destination bar is known for its quirky cocktails and blending five-star service with a casual and relaxed atmosphere
Salmon Guru in Madrid has been announced as the winner of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, part of The World’s 50 Best Bars awards 2021.
Created to recognize the importance of hospitality in the bar experience, this award is voted for by over 600 members of The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy. These industry experts are asked to name the bar where they received the single-best hospitality experience during the voting period.
This is the first of a series of special pre-announced awards in the month leading up to the awards ceremony taking place at the Roundhouse in London on Dec. 7, 2021 at 8.30 p.m. GMT. The World’s 50 Best Bars 2021, sponsored by Perrier, marks the return of the first in-person awards program since 2019, representing an important milestone in the ongoing recovery of the bar sector.
Salmon Guru was founded in Madrid in 2016 by Diego Cabrera, an icon and one of the most influential people in the bar sector. It is one of the most revolutionary concepts in the bar world, ranking highly at No.22 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020 list.
“We introduced the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award last year—first at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2020 and then The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020—as we believe hospitality is a vital part of the bar experience and excellence in this sphere should be rewarded,” says Mark Sansom, content editor for The World’s 50 Best Bars. “Diego Cabrera and the whole team at Salmon Guru have truly mastered the art of making every visitor to their bar feel special. They create unique moments at every step of the guest journey, from the ingenious drinks to the elegantly eccentric interiors. This win is incredibly well-deserved, and we offer huge and heartfelt congratulations to the whole team.”
A cocktail laboratory managed by Cabrera, the stellar team creates curious concoctions to push the boundaries of what’s possible with cocktails. Expect quirky drinks bursting with flavor and served in eye-catching custom glassware. The interior runs the gamut from 1950s tropical to tropes extracted from comic books, and interesting plays on eccentric opium dens. The menu is split by the impact of the drink, whether powerful, fruity, or crazy.
‘Diego Cabrera and the whole team at Salmon Guru have truly mastered the art of making every visitor to their bar feel special. They create unique moments at every step of the guest journey, from the ingenious drinks to the elegantly eccentric interiors.’
“Being named the winner of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award this year has a special relevance for Salmon Guru in a period as hard as the one we have gone through recently,” says Cabrera. The team, instead of surrendering, stepped forward, joined together, and doubled our efforts so that our guests can see the excellence we try to convey in the Salmon Guru service. We cried, we hugged, and we enjoy the recognition of the industry and that, for us, is really special. It means that our five-year trajectory since opening Salmon Guru is the right one—the art of hospitality has always been one of our main pillars and it will continue to be going forward.”
To Matt Magliocco, executive vice-president at Michter’s Distillery, LLC, Salmon Guru is a true beacon of hospitality, celebrated locally and globally by legions of grateful guests. “Congratulations to Diego Cabrera, Melanie Da Conceição, Adrian Sehob, Filippo Faedda, Manal Ouardane El Ghali, and the entire team at Salmon Guru for this outstanding recognition,” he says. “They are supremely deserving of this honor.”
The World’s 50 Best Bars 2021 list will be unveiled at an in-person ceremony at the Roundhouse, London, on Dec. 7, beginning at 8.30 p.m. GMT. It will be live streamed on Facebook and the 50 Best Bars TV YouTube Channel.