The Paradiso cocktail bar in Barcelona (c. Rere Palau, 4), the fourth best in the world according to the latest English ranking 50th Best BarsParadiso is celebrating its birthday: 10 years ago, the iconic white door opened for the first time, leading to a meticulously designed space. With a wooden ceiling that evokes the undulating ribs of a whale, and walls patterned in green with flowers, matching the waiters' uniforms, Paradiso quickly became thespeakeasy A renowned (hidden bar) in Barcelona. It all started in December 2015 and, two years later, it became the best in the world. Then the queues to get in became a constant sight in the nights in the Ciutat Comtal neighborhood.

Javier de las Muelas is 69 years old, has lived many lives and still plans to live a few more. The well-known bartender and businessman welcomes me at the Dry Martini Speakeasy and he gives more headlines than he could possibly fit into an interview. Some examples: "I like the liturgy of cocktails: I consider bars to be churches and bartenders to be priests. And the clients to be parishioners." Or when he says that "cocktails, even if they sell themselves as aeronautical engineers, are very simple. What is not simple is having the desire to serve and the intelligence to understand who you have in front of you" or that "people are communists when they have nothing to share." Or when he defends that he does not like "meaningless sophistication. I like the product. What Bulli did 30 years ago, and what famous people continue to do now, is no longer valid" or that "it is not true that in this profession we all get along... People get along and are generous when they are at the top."