I don’t remember exactly how I stumbled upon Can Angel, but it was relatively soon after I arrived here, quite possibly a random encounter while wandering the circuitous alleys of Palma’s medieval center. Regardless of how I arrived there, it became very quickly my favorite place to go out in Palma. It is informal. It is social. It is a bit edgy, but nevertheless a bearer of tradition. It serves tasty drinks. It’s cheap. In short, it is everything I was and am looking for in the world.

A quick note on the name: You may remember that I visited a restaurant named Ca’n Fuat in Alcúdia. In Catalan, ca means ‘the house of’ someone (cognate in form and use to the French chez), and the suffixed ‘n’ is a masculine article that comes before one’s name. Therefore, Can Angel can be translated in English as “Angel’s house”. It is used equally when speaking of one’s personal residence (‘can Stephen’ would be the abode of yours truly) or of more informal establishments for eating and drinking, where one can expect a homey atmosphere.

A homey atmosphere, I believe, is the soul of Can Angel. Although it is a place where Palma’s punks congregate and where the occasional high school student may be served hard drink, it is nevertheless run by a family and has offered essentially the same ambience to its clientele for more than one generation.

While only steps away from more than one major thoroughfare, Can Angel has the feeling of being hidden away, both because of the street it is on and because it is located in the basement of its building – the celler. One must step down through a narrow, low doorway upon arrival. Having been a regular there for months, even I still find myself walking past the door sometimes without noticing it.

What Can Angel is known for more than anything else is pomada, a drink from Minorca, the island immediately to the east of Majorca. Pomada is a gin-based cocktail, mixing the liquor with lemon juice, water and some sugar. This concoction is the lingering effect of English rule of Minorca in the 18th century, when the conquerors taught the island to make that typically British spirit, then mixed it with local citrus for more pleasant imbibing. Its simplicity belies the complex and syncretic spirit of the islands that brought it to be, and each sip is the positive result of two cultures coming together, albeit violently, and sharing with each other the best of their own.

The flagship brand of Minorcan gin is Xoriguer. One can find it in abundance in bars, restaurants and markets throughout the Balearic Islands, but it is painfully difficult to come across the further afield one goes. Minorcan gin has a flavor of its own, perhaps because its alcohol is distilled from grapes, rather than grain, before the requisite juniper berries are left in it to soak. It is particularly smooth and fruity, and lends itself perfectly to its signature cocktail.

At Can Angel, one can buy an entire bottle of Xoriguer pomada, mixed on site, for ten euros. Pomada here is made in a strictly traditional manner. At most bars, if you ask for a pomada you will receive a tall glass with gin and ice, and a can of lemon soda to mix in yourself. Can Angel gives you the real thing, mixed with juice from lemons in a crate in the backroom. It’s not that a lemon-soda pomada is a bad drink, but the real thing is the real thing.

I don’t think I would be in any way wrong to say that this deal is what keeps people coming back to Can Angel time and again. Whenever I’ve talked with people here about places I like to go out, and invariably bring it up, I am met with a smiling, “Yes! Pomada at Can Angel!” One of my coworkers told me about how she used to go there as a teenager – which was several decades ago – and share bottles of pomada with her friends. Can Angel has found the secret to longevity: a good place, a good product, and a good price. Years from now, I will remember it too, whether I’m back for a visit or trying to conjure up some refreshment in my own kitchen. Fins la pròxima!

Bar Can Angel
Carrer de Sant Jaume & Carrer de Can Armengol
07012 Palma
SPAIN

Related posts:

1. Palma Through the Grapevine Hostal Pons is on a street that would be better...
2. Palma Over Ice One of the qualities of Spanish city life overall that...
3. The Ultimate Taste of Majorca As previously touched upon, the center of Palma is with...
4. Bread Oil Sausage Island I’ve lived in Majorca for a little over nine months...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 12:19 pm and is filed under None.