Jacinto Sanfeliú Brucart

1912–1994

Stalwart of mid-Century Madrid mixology

Sanfeliú Brucart came to prominence in the 1940s at the Madrid Ritz, and then as the head bartender of the Madrid Palace hotel. During these years, he wrote two notable cocktail books, “Cien Cocktails” (1943) and the remarkable monograph “El Bar, Evolución Y Arte Del Cocktail” (1949), both of which are primary sources on Spanish mixology. In 1955, Sanfeliú opened Balmoral, Madrid’s primiere cocktail venue until the early 2000s. In 1957, Sanfeliu also opened his storied fine dining restaurant, El Bodegón. Sanfeliú was also a member of the UKBG, and he contributed an epilogue on wine to Simone Ortega’s best-selling “1080 Recetas” cookbook.