The Gilda Age - How to perfect the world's best bar snack at home

In the late 1940s, Rita Hayworth turned heads in Hollywood with her sultry, sharp-tongued, titular role in the movie Gilda. Hayworth's character also made a lasting impression further afield in Spain, at Casa Vallés bar in Donostia-San Sebastián, inspiring the creation of a pintxo-a tiny, toothpick-speared snack-that still bears her character's name today. The new pintxo was so popular that it was quickly adopted by other spots throughout the city. It is now Basque country's most iconic bar snack

- By Olivia McDowell - Photography by Greg Dupree

In the late 1940s, Rita Hayworth turned heads in Hollywood with her sultry, sharp-tongued, titular role in the movie Gilda. Hayworth's character also made a lasting impression further afield in Spain, at Casa Vallés bar in Donostia-San Sebastián, inspiring the creation of a pintxo-a tiny, toothpick-speared snack-that still bears her character's name today. The new pintxo was so popular that it was quickly adopted by other spots throughout the city. It is now Basque country's most iconic bar snack.

Alluring yet bracing and with plenty of bite, the original Gilda has it all: olive (manzanilla), anchovy (Cantabrian, ideally), and pickled peppers (specifically guindilla chiles). Salt, fat, acid, and just a little heat. Drizzled with good olive oil, maybe resting on a small slice of bread, she's the ideal pintxo-just enough to temper a little tipple and awaken the appetite.