Carrer de la Mercé 27 :
Drassanes 
: Jaume 
www.mariamulata.com : Tel. 0034 932 955 584
: 
Depending on the level of political correctness you subscribe to, "Maria Mulata" is a bit like saying "Half-Caste Helen", "Mixed-Race Melanie" or even (shudder) "Bi-Racial Barbara". Not be confused with Musical Maria, or the countless other bars in town with Maria in their name, this trendy cocktail bar in the Gotico is downtown's answer to Gracia's St Germain, except everything is on a larger scale, from the spacious main bar to the gigantic film projector (oh god, not another one) and the humungous olives (seriously, they were the largest I'd ever seen). While I definitely appreciated the quirky music, which on this occasion seemed to consist entirely of smooth lounge covers of synth pop classics from the 80s, and the fancy décor (see picture above), I was less enthusiastic about the deceptively rubbish happy hour. Advertised outside as "two cocktails for 8 euros", it turned out to be a case of "any colour you like so long as it's black", with the mojito being the only eligible tipple. As if this wasn't annoying enough, it was only after having instinctively selected "large" from the choice of "large or small" that I discovered that only small mojitos qualify. That minor quibble aside however, Maria Mulata is definitely one of the classier bars in the Gotico and there are certainly much worse places to have a drink in this part of town.
Paul
