No matter how introverted you are, solo travelling can get a bit lonely.

I am useless at striking up conversations with strangers, but have had a few good chats with bartenders in my pursuit of an interesting drink, and Paloma Nera was my saviour on both counts.

I was only spending one night in Split, but of course had done my research into good bars, and Paloma Nera had looked just the thing. Small, with a varied menu, and just outside the town centre.

I arrived early evening, and there were a few people sitting outside, but I awkwardly sat at the bar and eyed the menu.

I started with a Velec, a cocktail of white rum, rosemary, elderflower and pepper. The gentleman serving me was the owner, and grew the rosemary himself. This got us talking, and I learned a lot about drink trends in Croatia and the growth of cocktail bars.

After enjoying this light, herbal first drink, I had another, a variant on a Negroni called a Baba Yaga. This was served in the beautiful heritage glass you see pictured, which I then panicked about breaking the whole time. One of the key ingredients in the cocktail was a red wine liqueur called Teranino. Entirely new to me, I was kindly given a taste of it straight, and it was like a richer version of a dessert wine, sweet and spicy. It worked brilliantly in the cocktail, and I was extremely happy when I found a bottle of the same brand (Korlat) at the airport, and brought it home for H to try.

Although I could have stayed at the bar a lot longer, I headed off in search of food, thanking the owner for the excellent drinks and the new knowledge. I don’t often write about specific places abroad, but I loved it here and wanted to recommend it to anyone who may listen.