When it comes to cocktails, I am pretty hard-bitten. Too smooth and sweet and I won’t be able to savor my drink in little, slow sips. It has to be bitter, bold and spine-tingling, thank you. No surprise, then, that my elixir of choice at Nox, the pop-up cocktail and tapas bar on Pannierstraße, is a drink called the “dirty”. Billed as a Tom Collins on a wild rendezvous with a Dirty Martini, it blends Gin Mare with olive, celery, apple and soda for a sharp and herby taste without being wince-inducing. Cheers, chin-chin and “Prost” to that. As for Nox itself, the bar was opened in September 2024 by a mixologist-turned-foodie trio: Arun Naagenthira Puvanendran of Kink, Nico Zillmann from bar Lost my Voice and Max Mössmer from Krass Böser Wolf. They joined forces to open a temporary location that is part small plates, part speakeasy. Drinks-wise, the menu is innovative and – if you like your tipples sweeter than I do – full of light, bright sippable cocktails like the “yellowish” with Herradura Plata tequila, kalamansi fruit, yellow tomato, turmeric and honey. The food, meanwhile, is served tapas style by chefs Julius and Martin but will certainly fill you up if needed.
The likes of the Thai Parmigiana di Melanzane, oysters and a Camembert Pastéis de Nata make indulgent accompaniments to the drinks. If you want more extensive eats, you can reserve a table at the back and get served a surprise menu. Nox is open for early doors Wednesday to Friday and runs gender-diverse nights on Saturday as a collab with the folks at Stueck bar. Best be quick, though – Nox is (sadly!) only open until the end of the month…
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Robyn Steffen
Nox Pop-up, Pannierstr.57, 12047 Berlin–Neukölln; map
Runs until 01.11.2024. You can reserve a table here.
@nox.cocktailbistro
When the summer is over and Christmas is already looming but you can’t feel the magic of wintery weather yet, fall is at its lowest point. The desire to go on vacation is strong but it’s usually impossible to do so. Oh how nice it would be somewhere with palm trees, sand and sun… you think to yourself as the rain runs down the office windows. Perhaps this is the time to take a vacation in your city. To escape for an evening into a Caribbean-Filipino-Polynesian world. For four weeks (03.–31.10.2024, Thursdays to Saturdays), this is now possible in the Pink Room of the Bellboy Berlin Bar, where two Berlin boys Nawid Samawat and Tarek Nix invite you to Casa Don Papa — a pop-up bar with exclusive rum-based drinks in partnership with Don Papa Rum, bringing that sweet vacation mood right to the heart of our favorite city. Modern creations featuring the Philippines’ first premium single-island rum taste of vanilla, honey and candied fruit thanks to more than seven years of aging.
Bartender Nix, co-founder of the legendary Milk Punch Boys, skillfully pours them into the glasses, along with the “Limo 2000”, the non-alcoholic alternative. The interpretation of traditional Filipino iced tea captivates with citrus freshness and fruity, tingling notes. To satisfy our desire for escapism and wanderlust, Samawat, co-founder of Chicago Williams, conjures interpretations of South Pacific cuisine. It will be salty, crunchy, umami and sweet — and not at all Berlin. How wonderful a night of vacation can be!
Text: Alina Herbel / Photos: Alexander Hoppe
The Pink Room, Mohrenstr.30, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Casa Don Papa pop-up 03.–31.10.2024. Book a table here.
@casa_don_papa_berlin
@pinkroom.berlin
@tareknixon
@nawidsamawat
As much as we already miss summer, the first cold days herald the season of comfort. The home office desk is swapped for a sofa and wool blanket, with a hot water bottle nearby. And suddenly, unlike in previous months, few people are offended if you cancel one or two plans at short notice. We long even more for places outside our own four walls that feel just as cozy and warm — this is where the Corgi Bar at Weinbergspark delivers. Candlelight and framed pictures, granite-red surfaces running throughout the room… since the end of August 2024, Brunnenstraße has gained an aperitivo and wine bar. The Corgi is just one of the great spots of the Bechstein Network in Berlin, an association of creative minds. Prince Charles, Atelier Kreuzberg and Wilhelm Studios — these diverse projects are integral to the city, organizing events, hosting dinners and offering settings for private gatherings.
The Corgi is run by Eva Drohner, who has been involved in the city’s party scene for many years through her event agency and series of events at Heideglühen. The menu offers a fine selection of wines, house cocktails and classics such as the Espresso Martini and Margarita. One of my favorite discoveries this summer is the non-alcoholic Volée Spritz. Eva is already planning the first pop-ups at the bar, so if you’re thinking about hosting an event and looking for a location in Mitte, the Corgi Bar might be the place for you.
Text: Robyn Steffen / Photos: Bechstein Network, Robyn Steffen
Corgi Bar, Brunnenstr.177, 10119 Berlin–Mitte; map
@corgi.bar
“Hi Honey” a mirror at the entry of Honey Lou welcomes guests. This warmth and familiarity is reflected inside: orange light, friendly bar staff and soulful music. Owners Paul Rieck and Orhan Olgar tell us the name was for two reasons – “Lou” to pay homage to the street (Anzengruberstr., named after Ludwig “Lu” Anzengruber) and “Honey” because they wanted it to be a sweet place for sweet people. The two best friends met at a party six years ago. Within a few weeks Orhan had moved into the same building, where a group of friends all lived in separate flats. A kind of community utopia, they would often meet at a bar on the ground floor that Paul worked. When the bar closed and they moved out of the building, the two missed a reliable place to meet their friends. With Paul’s experience in bar management and Orhan’s experience as a DJ and organizing parties, they came together and opened Honey Lou in December 2023.
On offer are classic drinks – tap beer, wines, and cocktails such as whisky sour or espresso martini – as well as special house creations. Try their Honeycelin which is gin-based with fresh ginger, sage and honey, or It with fresh estragon, tequila and red wine. For those not drinking, we recommend their hibiscus sour or Amama Mind Juice that uses vital mushrooms from Amama around the corner. What sets Honey Lou further apart is their music offerings. Every Thursday (and often other days as well) the place fills with a crowd gathered to see soulful music. From Brazilian Acid Jazz and Bossa Nova to Cuban Latin Jazz, there’s plenty to enjoy. Drawing from subcultures across the globe, the selecion, as Orhan says, comes down to this: “there’s nothing soulless.” After a couple of nights returning to this spot, we see this to be true about the bar itself, too.
Text & Photos: Savannah van der Niet
Honey Lou, Anzengruberstr.3, 12043 Berlin–Neukölln; map
@honeylou.bar
Venturing into Mitte can be chaotic and crowded, but sometimes it’s worth the trip (especially when there’s an exciting new cocktail pop-up to discover). Considering it’s a cocktail residency from Coda’s former bar chef, the drinks are well worth the ride. Fresh off his pop-up at the Green Door bar, Adam Tudoret has set up shop in the former home of Oukan Tea in front of the Oukan restaurant and will be slinging Japanese Aperitivos until the end of September (28.09.2024). Dubbing his pop-up “Gradient Project“, this roaming bar takes inspiration from Japan, especially their ancestral and modern cooking techniques, which he applies to local ingredients to boost the cocktails’ flavor and texture profile. Expect to see preserved ingredients and Japanese ferments on the menu. Open Wednesday to Saturday from 18h, it’s a casual space where you can drink colorful, nostalgic Japanese-inspired Highballs, sake, beer and natural wine. The eye-catching libations take inspiration from a bygone era when sweet and flashy drinks were the norm. Tudoret revamps these cocktails with a modern take, like the “Midoresque”, a twist on the classic drink from the south of France — Mauresque, made with Pernod (a Parisian Anise Liquor), orgeat, Japanese Melon liqueur and Melon Charentais.
Text: Yolanda Evans / Photos: Kossi Enaku
Gradient Bar, Ackerstr.144, 10115 Berlin–Mitte; map
@gradientbar_project