Strolling Berlin builds up a thirst. Once you’ve seen the Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate in this historically important German city, you’ll want to sample its other major attraction: the nightlife. Berlin has some of the most intriguing cocktail bars in Europe. Here are six you must try.
Prinzipal
Prinzipal's mezcal negroni
This vintagey watering hole in Kreuzberg hides breathtaking burlesque and creative cocktails with sexy names like A Date with Dita, Elli Fatale and Porn Star Martini, behind a velvet curtain.
Prinzipal Kreuzberg
Oranienstraße 178,Kreuzberg, 10999
Rum Trader
Intrepid cocktail-bar hunters will delight at this exclusive spot (it only has 15 seats) in Schöneberg, where the lucky few to gain entry discover a 1920s-style speakeasy serving rum-based concoctions.
Rum Trader
Fasanenstraße 40, Schöneberg, 10719
Fairytale Bar
Be prepared to tumble down the rabbit hole when you ring the bell to enter this whimsical Alice in Wonderland-themed bar in central Berlin, which was inspired by the fairytale fountain at the nearby Volkspark Friedrichshain.
Fairytale bar
Am Friedrichshain 24, Prenzlauer Berg, 10407
Buck & Breck
Like many great cocktail bars, Buck & Breck is hidden behind an inauspicious door. Within this bar in central Berlin is a beautifully designed and intimate space for just 14 guests. Come and be spoiled by the bartender.
Buck & Breck
Brunnenstraße 177, Mitte, 10119
Velvet
This chic, Art Deco-styled bar in the trendy area of Neukölln won Mixology magazine’s bar of 2018 due to its intriguing and impressive seasonal cocktails, which make use of hyper-local produce sourced from the surrounding neighbourhood.
Velvet
Ganghoferstraße 1, Neukölln, 12043
Stagger Lee
Stagger Lee is decked out like a saloon bar / Image: Claudia Goedke (@claudiagoedke)
You’ll certainly be staggering out of this Western saloon-style bar in Schöneberg, full of carefully curated old-timey ephemera. It’s named after a Nick Cave song and its cocktails are notoriously strong and to-the-point, but also exquisitely good.
Stagger Lee
Nollendorfstraße 27,Schöneberg, 10777
