What is Bote? (EP 35)

In certain parts of Spain, a group of friends settles up before the night starts. Everyone puts the same amount of cash into one pile, usually ten euros a head. One person holds it and pays at every bar. Eight people can move through six bars over an evening and never once discuss who owes what. In the Basque Country, that pile is called the bote, and it runs on some very real rules. Marti Buckley explains where the word comes from. She covers how the system runs stop by stop, how not to be the person who wrecks it, what Bilbao does with the coins left at the bottom, which involves a slot in a wall in the Casco Viejo, and the version of bote you'll find in other parts of Spain, like Granada, Galicia, Pamplona and Madrid.  If you want more about Spain: ∙ Subscribe to Marti's Substack at https://substack.com/@martibuckley ∙ Follow her on Instagram @martibuckley ∙ Visit her blog at travelcookeat.com