photo: Fahimi Bar.
Now that the cold and dark evenings make the concept of a Wegbier by the canal a rather unpopular idea, bars with their cozy and inviting interiors are a tempting alternative. In this post, we’ve collected some of our favorite spots in Kreuzkölln. They’re all more or less within a walking distance from each other, so don’t get discouraged if one of them is too full and simply enjoy your stroll through one of Berlin’s most famous nightlife areas!
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by Michalina | Bars, Kreuzberg, Neukölln
photo: Drink Syndikat.
I have to admit it: I really miss having a good drink. With bars closed now for over a month and most likely remaining shut for several more weeks to come my craving for a good cocktail is really growing strong. Of course, it’s the atmosphere of a good cocktail bar and the going out part that I miss dearly, but let’s face it, this just can’t happen right now and I don’t want to dwell on it. But what I technically don’t have to miss out on is the taste of a delicious cocktail – even if I have to drink it alone at home in isolation. Considering my own mixing skills would only accomplish a gin and tonic at most, it’s the refined work of Berlin’s best bartenders and mixologists that I would greatly appreciate now.
Much to my delight, I recently found out, that there are actually a few bars that do cocktail deliveries within Berlin. How amazing is that? This way you can just get the bar feel to your house. Here’s our little guide to cocktail delivery services in Berlin.
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by Frank | Bars
photos: Vismante Ruzgaite.
Have you had these approaching Friday nights, that you didn’t want to spend clubbing – again – but had no better idea what to do? You feel indecisive, yet sure it should be something fun and unusual this weekend. To give you an idea of how to change things up and encourage your friends to try something new, we did all the research for you! In the end, we came up with some pretty cool evening activities with a nightlife vibe, to make new Berlin memories. Enjoy!
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by Franziska | Events
Sponsored.
How does the Apocalypse taste? What would you like to drink on the last night before the world ended? Maybe your choice would be Champagne? Or would it be a refined cocktail with a wildflower swimming in it?
The newest production Violetter Schnee by Staatsoper Unter den Linden is all about the end of the world. Five people are trapped inside a bunker and when they leave it to see if the world is alright they discover they are doomed forever.
The opera is inspired by the cult movie Solaris from Andrei Tarkowski where 3 men float in space around an enigmatic planet called Solaris. Since this movie from the 70s is rarely shown in public, together with Staatsoper we decided to create a unique night to present this nostalgic piece of cinematic art.
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by Claudio | Movies, Photos, Theater
Sponsored
It’s the Berliners’ favorite long drink: the Gin & Tonic. It’s so simply and pure. But after being the number one for so long, isn’t it time to mix it up a bit?
That’s pretty much what the Tanqueray Drinks Club hosted by the boys from Salt & Silver at the lovely Infarm space was all about – finding ways to bring your own special flavor to this classic drink. Mixing a Gin & Tonic certainly doesn’t have to end with the gin and the tonic water. The possibilities to create a more refined version by adding more ingredients while maintaining the freshness of the classic long drink are basically endless.
As we learned from award-winning mixologist Atalay Aktas a whole range of herbs, berries and exotic fruits offer themselves as natural components. It does make sense because gin is already infused by herbs, why not add fresh ones? And the fruits create the perfect counterpart for the strong herbal flavors to bring a bit of sweetness to the mix.
What really made a difference to me in the end was the addition of liquors or bitters. They really bring an originality of taste to the Gin & Tonic that almost elevates the long drink to a cocktail while still being fairly easy to mix. It was certainly an experience that gave us a better understanding of the versatility of the Tanqueray & Tonic. To wet your appetite we have some impressions of the evening for you!
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by Frank | Events, Photos
photo: Natalia Kepesz
At a certain point, you know the difference between sitting at a Späti, at a Kneipe next door and at a nice bar. All three of these places demand a certain willingness to let go of your everyday routine but in a slightly different way. The Späti-night will first seduce you with being totally unpretentious and only a short term affair, a temporary solution. But after spending all night there, you know how your head will hurt like it was hit by a „Bierbank“ the morning after. The adventure to a Kneipe is a more serious challenge. The funny Kneipenlady you’ve heard rumors about will get all of your attention with all her dirty secrets, but while you are there, sitting at the counter, you realize that you are trapped like in the rabbit hole of Alice in Wonderland. You can’t escape as long as her shift or your finances end.
Last but not least, entering a fine bar is a nightlife pleasure of a special kind. A bar and its bartenders are a place of illusions and fantasies. And where fantasies and nightlife meet for a drink, I want to be there too (just to write down my experiences for this blog of course… ;-))
Therefore I was more than happy to represent the digital media world as a judge at the World Class Competition 2016 in Berlin. Hosted by the Diageo Group the event took place in several locations in Berlin. 17 Bartenders from all over Germany competed with each other for one spot to go to Miami to the World Class Global Final competition. I had the pleasure to not only observe their skills from up close but also to taste some of the most fantastic drinks in my entire life. Being the judge of the hospitality challenge, I had to pretend to be a guest at a bar for a whole day and try out drinks from all 17 different bartenders. What sounds like a funny theater play was quite the intense job where a lot of accuracy of observation was required. But as each of the bartenders made their appearances in front of my judging seat, I had to wonder:
What are the special ingredients that make a bar a place of such magic and enchantment? My deep insights from this dive into the bartender world in a not-so-serious listical after the jump.
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by Claudio | Stories
Berlin’s nice bars and – admittedly – Don Draper have played a significant role in my interest in drinks past wine, beer and vodka soda. There are plenty of great bars and talented barkeepers in this city that can make your mouth happy when it longs for something more experimental than those “standard” liquids.
But there are nights, when I don’t feel like hanging out in a smoky bar, but want to shake and twist a little at home to whip up a great drink. I usually end up with just a glass of wine, because I neither have the energy to research what I could easily mix nor do I want to have huge bottles of ingredients rotting away on my shelves.
The Berlin-based start-up Drink Syndikat now presents the perfect solution to all those issues. Each month drink expert and founder Erik Pfauth assembles a box with high quality ingredients to a total of six drinks, which you can order directly to your house. A little booklet tells you what you can mix from those ingredients as well as the history of the drinks and origin of the spirits.
I spoke with Erik about his business and the best Bars in Berlin…
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by Lia | Bars, City Guide, Products
Monkey Bar, 25h Hotel
One of the things that’s awesome about Berlin is the fact that it has something for every taste. This applies not just to the art galleries that range from big snobby ones to small playful ones, or the theater culture that has big name actors on huge stages on the one side and experimental pieces in improvised settings on the other. It is also something that you will notice in terms of nightlife. There is basically a party for every type of crowd and for every taste in music. The same goes for the bars and this is something I want to explore today.
What bar type are you? You like the classic ones with the best cocktails in the city? Or are you all about friendly and cosy atmosphere? Or do you like to have an awesome view over the city while sipping on your long drink? In our new comprehensive Bar Guide for Berlin we tried to split up the bar scene of Berlin by different types and give you some recommendation for every taste and occasion.
To save you from having to study the drinks menu for 10 minutes in every bar before you know what to order we consulted the cocktail archive of theBar.com and selected a few suitable drinks for each of our bar types. This website comes in handy when you are looking the right cocktail for you as you can search by occasion, spirit or ingredient and also have a look at the recipes that range from cocktail classics to new trendy drinks. Very practical! But now enjoy our bar and cocktail guide after the jump!
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by Frank | Bars, City Guide, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Mitte, Neukölln, Prenzlauer Berg, Schöneberg, Wedding