The Aviation Project – Having an Aviation at Bar Zentral
The Aviation has as many colours as the sky. It is between grey, blue and purple. The drink looks romantic and feminine but it is a sly old dog.
I had already had many drinks at Bar Zentral but on a lovely Spring afternoon Jay and I ordered two Aviations. One important thing about Bar Zentral is that they open their doors at 5 o’clock for an aperitif or after work drink. This bar definitely belongs in my Top 10. It is because of the warm welcome, the location, the vibe, and the great tunes. The bar offers classical drinks without any fancy stuff, topped with knowledgeable and kind hosts. The bar counter itself is the core element of the venue and goes from one side of the room nearly to the other. All the bar equipment is hidden behind the doors of a huge wooden cabinet. Neither brands nor decorative elements distract the eyes. There are only the big neon lights saying “disappear here”. Located in one of the arches underneath the S-Bahn tracks close to Zoologischer Garten, the exposed bricks, the rumbling of the trains on the tracks, the huge ventilators under the ceiling, this bar is a place where you can easily lose yourself.
Puristic style without any frills. Classic like the drinks and mixed with love and passion.
One of the best places to drink in Berlin. Time to order. When I told Torsten Bender, one of the lovely owners, about the Aviation project he started to get a bit nervous and took a jigger not to mess up our experience. He has been making drinks since 1999 and I have never had an unsatisfactory drink from him. Here is his recipe and expect some turbulence afterwards:
6.5 cl Tanqueray Gin no. Ten
1 cl Lemon Juice
1 cl Maraschino Luxardo
0.4 cl Bigallet Crème de Violette
Shake with lemon zest and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. The drinks are served on linen napkins which adds a certain something. The cheaper paper napkins in some bars always look ugly after a while. But this solution gives an extra touch to this bar.
This Aviation had the perfect temperature and was rich in content due to the 47.3 % vol. A low-alcohol play on an Aviation is coming soon with the new summer menu: An Aviation Fizz with eggwhite and soda.
to be continued …
