Sexy Cocktails in Berlin

For several years, the various concepts of watering holes and their cocktail creations have reached the highest international level in Germany’s capital city. The American bars are just as manifold and exciting as the city life itself is – from fashionable hotel bars, such as the Curtain Club in the Ritz-Carlton, or the plush Provocateur in the hotel of the same name, to classic, stylish formations like the Reingold or Lebensstern, all the way to the somewhat hidden speakeasies like the Green Door and Fairytale.

There’s a hugely diverse scene here, the discovery of which a real cocktail lover doesn’t mind traveling the long distances for. Moreover, the flexibility of many bar owners, who have a more liberal interpretation of the smoking laws than those in other German states, still allows guests to enjoy cigars with their drinks. Come with us on a short roundtrip to the exquisite bar strongholds in Berlin. For an aperitif, it’s best to visit a classic in the city. Since 2001, the fabulous Victoria Bar has been functioning as a “glue strip for bar flies.” The drink Boi Portugues (dry port, Campari, bitters, Noilly Prat) turns out to be a very successful aperitif. From Potsdam Strasse, we go to the well-known speakeasy Buck & Breck, owned by the Portuguese Gonçalo de Sousa Monteiro. Once you’ve found a place at the smokers’ bar, the barman skillfully draws you in with new interpretations of classic cocktails, such as the Borgia or Mezcal Negroni. Great coolness factor! The next stop on our tour is the Stagger Lee. A small bar with a lot of wood and a cozy side room that invites the enjoyment of cigars. The famous Barrel Aged Black Cherry Old Fashioned (Elijah Craig 12yo, Ardbeg 10yo, port, Amarena syrup, Bitters …) goes excellently with a Partagás Black Label, for example. From there, we continue to the city’s best hotel bar. In both 2016 and 2017, the bar in Hotel am Steinplatz collected the prize in the hotel bar category at the Mixology Bar Awards. And this with the claim of being a bar without gin. Yet, with her brilliant cocktail creations and convincing friendliness, the fantastic barkeeper Anne Linden soon makes her guests forget the lack of the spirit. Once you’ve ordered a cocktail without a specific name from the nicely illustrated menu (all recipes are handdrawn) – either the one with double juniper berry, mint, beetroot, pineapple and lemon, or the one with bourbon, mint, ver juice and honey – bar passionados will immediately understand the two-time decision of the bar awards jury. Enjoying these cocktails, combined with the entertaining chats with Ms. Linden is the best way to conclude a bar tour of Berlin.