Tipped off by Critiki, we made a beeline for this bar while vacationing in Spain this July, and it was totally worth it.
The place was small, probably less than twenty seats and the décor was restrained, but thoughtful and atmospheric. What really makes this a great destination is its personable owner/bartender Miguel; between his great soundtrack of beach-themed rockabilly and Spanish exotica numbers, and his carefully made and excellent drinks, he has the true Tiki vibe nailed.
Chatting with Miguel, it turned out that his place started as a home bar that eventually grew into a business for him; as a home tiki bar owner myself, his enthusiasm was dangerously infectious. Learning this also made a lot of sense; since Miguel still lends Tiki Chateau that warm sense of being a guest in someone’s very cool home bar.
There were some fun new-to-us mugs on the shelf behind the bar..
And at one point during the conversation, Miguel took out a scrapbook he said a customer had given him, that was full of Hawaiian newspaper clippings from World War II, including a newspaper announcing the attack on Pearl Harbor … a unique and interesting artifact!
While there, we tried to focus on trying drinks particular to Tiki Chateau. Jeanie went for the “Coco Pae Pae” – a drink containing coconut, rum, and orange juice, among other things – while I started with the “Esfinges de Bikini”, a potent mix of J. Wray & Nephew Overproof white rum, lime, bitters, and a bit of grated nutmeg.
Jeanie’s second drink was the “Tiki Chateau Royale”, a blend of juices and rums touched with warm spice notes; I asked Miguel for a recommendation, and he suggested the “Beso de Cobra” – with citrus, falernum, a blend of rums, and Angostura bitters, it was probably my favorite drink of the evening.
There were no nonalcoholic drinks on the menu, but our teenager Richard had two virgin drinks which Miguel made custom for him, based on flavors he said he enjoyed – one with guava and lime as the main elements, the second with guava and strawberry as the dominant notes.
My final mixed drink was the “Long Pig”, made, appropriately, with bacon-infused rum, as well as a blend of citrus flavors and spice. The bacon flavor, far from taking over the beverage, performed a subtle supporting role in the drink, adding complexity.
Miguel had several rums we’d never seen before, so a couple rounds of shots were also sampled: Plantation Xaymaca, pale gold in color with a nice funk to it …
And Paranubes Oaxaca, a sugarcane-based Mexican rum.
As if all this wasn’t enough, shortly after we’d settled in, another member of the Seattle Tiki Ohana came into the bar – someone we’d somehow managed not to meet at Tiki Kon (even though it turned out at one point he and I’d been on stage together), only to stumble upon each other half a world away, each on our first visit to Tiki Chateau! When Miguel started trotting out the Spanish exotica vinyl, Jared, our new acquaintance, kindly offered to help get a few of the albums shipped to our home, which otherwise would not have been feasible for us with our minimalist (and loaded) luggage.
All in all, it was a magical evening at Tiki Chateau; Miguel’s original creations were the bomb – and not just because one of them had the word “Bikini” in the title. if you find yourself in Madrid and want a tiki drink, don’t think twice, just go!
Thank you Tom for this great write up!
Tiki Chateau
Calle San Vicente Ferrer 32
Here is the Tiki Chateau Facebook page