Berlin Bar – Berlin meets Moscow
There are many well-known bars in Moscow and it isn’t easy to decide where to go even if you are on a tight time schedule. Berlin Bar was a great recommendation made to me by the lovely cocktail enthusiast I met at Korobok. After having an aperitivo together at the Dante New York pop up bar in Moscow, we went together around the corner towards a new adventure.
At Blagoveshchensky Lane you will find the clearly marked entrance of the bar. It isn’t hidden or without a sign, au contraire there is a big neon sign indicating its whereabouts. As soon as you enter you find yourself in a spacious room. Stylish and cool, but cozy due to the wooden floor and the brown leather cushions on the chairs and benches. The bar counter is massive, rock-solid and made of paving slabs. Berlin says the big illuminated writing that hangs on the wall.
They have brought pieces of Berlin’s pavements to Moscow and built a bar out of that.
The place is perfectly designed and they have used original paving slabs, benches and street lamps from Berlin’s famous boulevard, Kurfürstendamm. Thilo Ferdinand Reich, a German architect, designed the venue and brought the noble atmosphere of the most famous boulevard from Berlin to Moscow. This isn’t the only connection to Germany. The founder of the bar is a German expat who has lived for more than ten years in Moscow. Chris Helmbrecht is a famous DJ and if a DJ opens a bar you can expect a lot of high-quality music and enough space to hit the dance floor.
He made the concept by mixing high-quality music by local and European DJs with professionally executed drinks.
The bar is open from Thursday to Saturday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. It has a club vibe later in the evening. We were there early to enjoy some drinks and have a relaxed chat with the bartender. We took our favourite seats at the massive bar counter. Comfortable and very elegant. Luxurious curly lamps give an atmospheric light. The bottles are lined up alongside the wall. It is obviously a well-chosen and big liquor selection. The German theme continues and you will find German gins like Ferdinands and Windspiel, also Vivide a German absinthe, bitters from The Bitter Truth and OK bitters created by the German bartender Klaus St. Rainer. For hungry mouths Berlin specials such as Currywurst, Buletten with potato salad, Rollmops with cucumber, capers and onion, await you.
The menu lists many vodka based drinks which weren’t, to be honest, very tempting to me. “We can always prepare any classic cocktail for you”, the menu declares. The team behind the bar is experienced and have participated in many well-known competitions, such as the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition and Diageo Reserve World Class.
I was already very pleased and impressed by the atmosphere and design, but the man who made this bar adventure a memory was Dovran Niyazov (I hope I have remembered his name correctly). Such a humble and skilled bartender who created mouthwatering delicious libations which will remain in my memory.
Hospitality is more than a friendly welcome, it is to understand your guests and make them feel comfortable.
He made me a White Negroni with mezcal as a starter. Then he pampered our taste buds with some Russian inspired drinks and treated our eyes nicely with clear ice and lovely decoration. I had a fantastic night and also got some nice presents. I would recommend being there early to enjoy the full impact of flavours and recommendations.
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