Flamingo at two
Today we plunge headlong into the heart of Jerez de la Frontera willing to walk its streets to give a good account of the drinking. Let it not be said that we are not in land of rich wines . and we decided to do it glass by glass Or better, tobacco to tobacco : after all, these are the authentic temples in which to worship the wines that they elaborate so skillfully in the south.
The tabancos are true sanctuaries that lead from XVII century accumulating tradition and tradition, the same that can be felt in every nook and cranny of its ancient premises. The one you feel with every little sip.
Thus, pulling from what is truly traditional, we alternate the fino, the oloroso, the amontillado and what is third with something to snack on and some that another cante por bulerías.
Let it not be said, oh, by God! that we are not in the land of artists.
To be an authentic tabanco, it has to sell most of its sherry and serve it in a boot
TOBACCO SAN PABLO, SOUL AND TRADITION
Jesus places the glass of wine on the bar and lets us go: “Eah, there you have your little brunette”. And it is not " the brunette "other than one Oloroso and Muscatel mix that, we don't know very well if it's because of the time —12 noon— but it tastes like glory.
After taking the first sip, we place the glass again on the same wooden bar as his great-uncle, the Uncle Manuel , he placed him that day of 1934 in which, with six thousand pesetas that he had won in the lottery , rode the one that is considered one of the most authentic tabancos in the whole city . Behind the bar, the same three butts from then continue, 86 years later, serving bulk wine to the delight of their customers. As tradition dictates. Yes sir.
Because although it is true that today the term of tabanco to all kinds of bars and taverns in Jerez , the authentic , the one that really deserves the name, is the one that meets an essential requirement: that the bulk of the business is to sell Sherry wines , and that this served directly from the boot.
The fourth generation of tobacco maintains the essence of the place
Jesus tells us that few things have changed in Saint Paul throughout the three generations that have taken over the business so far. Because Uncle Manuel was followed by his father, and his father by himself. Behind the bar, his nephew seems to be starting to write the fourth chapter of the story.
Along with some other bullfighting poster that continues to decorate the walls of this historic venue in the San Miguel neighborhood , hang black and white photographs that cling tooth and nail to the past. Back in the 80's his father decided lease the neighboring premises , which at that time was dedicated to washing bottles, to add it to the original. Since then, boots have been huddled together in that space, imitating the corridor of a warehouse: in them a wine of more than thirty years is macerated that is blessed glory.
THE PASSAGE, FLAMENCO AT TWO
There is no route through tabancos that does not pass through the oldest of all - opened its doors in 1925 —, and the one that concentrates the most expectation: getting a table between the ancient walls of El Pasaje is a complicated task , though not impossible. Especially if we get to the hours when there is a flamenco show — at 2 in the afternoon or at 9 at night —: Better to be far-sighted and plant ourselves there with time.
Tabanco The Passage
Behind the bar, the boots are stacked keeping inside the liquid treasure that are the sherry wines: you just need to breathe in really hard to feel it. Of course, to make them fit better, there is nothing like accompanying them with a classic cap: the special pork rinds, we already warned you, are pure delicacy.
When in the tablao from the background start the first chords of the flamenco guitar , the world stops and the wine office becomes a generator of emotions that are difficult to explain in words. The result? We left there wanting to sign up for dance classes as soon as possible...
THE BANDERILLAS: SOLERA JEREZANA
And although leaning on the bar in El Pasaje, the truth is that it is really good, the route continues and takes us back to a new tobacconist on the list. Also in the neighborhood of San Miguel —next to the already mentioned Tabanco San Pablo— there is The Banderillas , in which we impregnate ourselves with solera just by putting your feet inside.
So much so, that according to what they tell us, a pro Jerez woman took her first steps on her bar: the business belonged in the past to the father of Lola Flores herself and this one she started dancing here since she was barely a year old.
Today at the bar the catavinos stuffed with fino seek their place among plates full of typical viands And we talk again about greaves or of grilled chocolate eggs , but also from Sherry cabbage and traditional stews — which are the perfect complement to the art of drinking.
The decoration, set in the bullfighting world, is made up of posters, photographs, and even the head of a stuffed bull that governs the entrance to the kitchen. While Jerez locals crowd between tables and bars trying to find that minimum space that allows them to enjoy the experience, the waiters joke, lavishing sympathy on all four sides: it could not be otherwise.
Sherry solera
**TABANCO MARIÑIGUEZ: THE REINVENTION **
However, when we really fall for the charm of this traditional business, it is when we reach the Tabanco Mariñiguez : Impossible not to die of love when discovering its history, but much less when meeting its owners. Sunday and Anna They decided to reinvent themselves at almost sixty years old, just seven years ago: he, technical architect , he suffered the ravages of the crisis and was very clear that his new life bet was to transform the garage of his own house into a traditional cigar. What better plan than to live off one of the greatest prides of a Jerez native? Ana, his wife, a hairdresser by profession, followed in his footsteps and shared with him that dream: if the two went together, nothing could go wrong.
And indeed, things went smoothly. Although they already look forward to retirement, they continue to share self-confidence, laughter and comics with everyone who visits them. Like the anecdote that both were born on Sol street , next to where he came into the world lola flowers.
To the wines that are macerated in the boots of their premises —wine that they themselves produce— we must add a small bar and barely six small tables distributed between the bar and the interior patio of his own house . In the kitchen, Ana moves between pans with the skill of someone who has been cooking delicious food for a lifetime: watch out for her artichokes from her to her chicken in colorao , to its sherry cabbage or your wonderful hot garlic . Oh, and your tagarnina croquettes ! Hats off, gentlemen.
But despite the affection that is shown to this couple, which is pure love, the reality is that the new health crisis has made Domingo and Ana have had to close their doors, at least, until September : the size of their premises does not give them any room for adaptation. Yes indeed: they are open to work for all those closed groups that request it, and that is priceless!
Self-confidence, comics and homemade vermouth
THE OLD CROSS
And we won't have to walk too far, because very, very close, we reach the Grocery Cruz Vieja . And although this one does not even have wineskins in its premises —we are no longer skipping the first rule—, it's not tobacco, deserves a special mention just for the history that its walls accumulate , which belong to a old grocery store , and for the flamenco sprees that are mounted inside when one least expects it. We leave it there...
Only 20 meters away, yes, is the young man Tabanco Cruz Vieja : there are boots here, yes, and there are also flamenco performances scheduled every day.
It's not a tabanco, but the flamenco sprees that lived inside...
THE GANG: PAST AND PRESENT
Again another of those tabancos considered mythical: The gang originally opened its doors in the San Pedro neighborhood in 1936 , although after becoming a fundamental part of the winemaking history of Jerez, its owners decided to close its doors. It was not until 2013, 20 years after serving that last glass of wine, that Antonio Ruiz y Bosco Delague , its new owners, decided to give it a new life.
Today, The Gang has recovered the essence of what was once based on effort and tenacity: bullfighting posters are hung from their walls as they did in the past, and in his boots the wine is stored again , in this case of the Sanchez Romat winery e, with which the cups of lovers of good customs are filled.
As in all tabanco, if we come upstairs we can always take home one little bottle of that broth that their boots keep . Although, things as they are, nothing is comparable to enjoying it in the truly authentic atmosphere of the tabanco, surrounded by local people and accompanied, of course, by one of the famous gangsters ": the traditional montaditos that have become a classic of the business.
La Pandilla montaditos are epic
THE GUITARRON OF SAN PEDRO: WOMEN RULE
The Guitarron of San Pedro we reached it in just two minutes, at 16 Bizcocheros Street . And this particular one has a peculiarity that we love: despite the fact that the tobacconist was a business eminently run and frequented by men, here are the women who rule.
To have a good time doing what we have come to enjoy, a very good option is to bet on the taste that Mireia , Catalan —although adopted from Jerez—, Sherry wine lover and one of the owners of it, organizes on demand: three dry sherry wines for 10 euros that give away a good little while to take us back home.
BONUS TRACK: THREE TOBACCO SECRETS
Walking towards the historic center of Jerez, you can make a short stop at the Tabanco La Reja , another of the classic wine temples, before reaching Calle Algarve: the Tabanco Plateros clings again to the Jerez tradition serving wines in bulk without ceasing. And they have been doing it for a relatively short time: although it opened its doors for the first time in 2011, it was installed in this location much less ago: in 2016.
Here is the youthful atmosphere that predominates and the design it is much more modern than usual: that is precisely what is curious. Because tabancos are still hot spots today, even centuries after they were created . And they continue to concentrate friends and family, strangers and visitors, around the same treasure: what Jerez wine does not achieve, nothing in the world achieves.
And that's the beauty of this story, so to celebrate it, let's continue to pay tribute to it. Another shot, please!
Tabanco Plateros, recently opened, has come to show that tabancos are still in fashion
Although this is the same we can also take it in the last of our proposals: the Tabanco Las Cuadras worth a stop more because of the beauty of the space than because it is actually a tobacconist . And there is no here no trace of wine boots , they are not expected. Although if requested, of course, they serve it from their bottles: for something we are in Jerez.
You have to pay attention to the decorative details, to the different spaces that have been masterfully adapted to their new use —until a few years ago, this place was actually a block—, and even to their quirky bathrooms . But if there is something that convinces the people of Jerez every day -especially on weekends-, it is their Courtyard of the Countess : a large interior patio in which all kinds of flamenco shows every week.
Find her 'patio de la Condesa' and dance until dawn