Herz Basel – Heart in the Right Place Re-visit
Just in case you missed my first article about Herz Bar in Basel. The name of the bar says it all, and it hit me right in the heart. The most important thing about a bar concept is the customer experience. In short, the guest should feel welcome and comfortable and, of course, come back. After more than a year, I finally paid another visit to this great bar. I had been following their latest posts on Instagram which had made me very thirsty.
I kicked the night off with a fine sparkling wine with an elegant hint of yeast from Stadtbrennerei, a Swiss sparkling wine completely made by hand. The Crystal Espresso Martini is one of Herz’s results from playing with a Rotovap. Dangerously delicious describes the mixture of Packs Vodka from Stadtbrennerei, Mezcal, coffee and a few drops of cardamom oil.
Old fashioned re-thought and re-distilled. A combination of Cognac and porcini, a bit of sugar, verjus, bitters and vermouth. And last but not least a Clarified Milk Punch, what else? Go for the Pumpkin Milk Punch; it combines rum with butternut, PX Sherry, fresh orange and lemon juice, rooibos tea and is clarified with soy milk. Never heard of milk clarification? Learn more about it and join me in my experiments.
Creative minds with a lot of heart and soul. Martin Bornemann and Norbu Tsering have their heart in the right place.
Favourite of the night: Rum Manhattan based on Plantation Xaymaca with LBV Port, Tempus Fugit Banana, red vermouth and tiki bitters. So good!
I was with a good friend and professional drinker too at Herz (twice to be honest) and we both came to the conclusion that all the drinks are very well-balanced and tailored to their guests. The menu also includes bar food. The sumptuous sandwiches are helpful to soak up the alcohol after a couple of drinks and of course are extremely tasty. Beside that, we were given a tour of the Stadtbrennerei, which is idyllically located in the backyard and provides the basis for many cocktails. An absolutely unique selling point and a perfect match.
A bar attached to a distillery where premium spirits are handcrafted from local ingredients directly into the drinks. From the still straight to the glass.
Herz ticks all my boxes, and soon they will serve Irish Coffee. See you in a bit. Cheers! Read more about Herz Basel: