Spaniards raise toast to recovery by heading back out to bars

Madrid

NOW that the hangover of financial crisis has faded, Spaniards are heading back to the bar.

That's a relief for the country's battered food and drink industry, which saw 25,000 establishments close between 2008 and 2014 as consumers cut back during a slump that drove the unemployment rate above 27 per cent. In 2015, more bars opened than closed for the first time in seven years as the economic recovery made it easier for Spaniards to indulge their love of wine, coffee and conversation while feasting on tapas.