Bürkner Eck – Cornered by Flower Power
Berlin has a considerable number of bars, much to the displeasure of my liver. Why has it taken me so long, more precisely five years, to make it to the Bürkner Eck? That’s what I asked myself while sipping their excellent cocktails. Well, it’s never too late for a first visit.
As the name implies, the bar is located at the corner of Bürknerstraße and Hobrechtstraße nearby the Maybachufer. I had previously planned a visit as part of my Aviation Project, but I got stuck in the surrounding bars. Don’t worry, there was a little variation at the end.
Step in
The bar is bathed in warm golden candlelight. A successful mix of music, dimmed light and a casual atmosphere, not to forget the lovely bar team. A perfect place to escape the stress of everyday life; and so it is not surprising that on a Tuesday evening this location is well visited. We found our places at the counter, between two well-known bartenders. A reliable sign and I immediately felt in good hands. Unexcited cosiness meets solid drinks. A bar to just enjoy a drink without much fuss. Beer and wine are also available, of course.
Cosy atmosphere and classic cocktails served in a vintage interior. A place where bartenders drink in style.
The age of the bar can only be speculated on. A classic corner pub for decades, a stylish neighbourhood bar for several years. A wooden cabinet houses the spirits and the patina on the walls lends the charm of an old drinking place, which has already experienced a lot.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
The Rose Cocktail
While browsing the well-structured menu, the Rose Cocktail caught my eye. Recently I had one at Goldfisch Bar and remembered my first encounter with this pinkish drink.
It was my first week in Berlin. I was sitting at the counter of Buck & Breck Bar thinking about what to drink. I looked at the bartender (it was Goncalo de Sousa Monteiro himself) and said, “I’d like to have a cocktail that’s the way you see me right now”. He didn’t think too hard and served me a drink in pale pink. It was a Rose cocktail. In the furthest depths of myself, I wasn’t flattered. I would have preferred to be more pithy, earthy and smoky. But the first sip had already put a smile on my lips and I understood. If I were a cocktail I would be a Rose. Classic yet relevant, simple yet complex.
The Rose Cocktail is a romantic combination of vermouth, Kirschwasser and raspberry syrup. A charming, aromatic, soft, slightly floral drink that had its heyday in the 1920s at the Chatham Hotel in Paris. At Bürkner Eck you will find a marriage of Vermouth Extra Dry from Freimeisterkollektiv, Kirschwasser from Humbel and some raspberry syrup.
The original recipe, which dates back almost 110 years, does not list raspberry syrup, but red currant (sirop de groseille). In this case, the sweetness and colour that give the drink the finishing touches are decisive. Furthermore, there are always variations in which the Kirschwasser is swapped for gin, or sweet grenadine syrup is used. Both variants are based on the price. The fineness of the Rose lies in the use of high-quality ingredients and the preparation. Three components whose balance is crucial. I recommend only ordering this drink in a bar of trust. Bürkner Eck is one of them.
And then another Aviation
One drink is usually not enough, and so, it was time for an Aviation, but without acidity. This works wonderfully and was the perfect completion for a successful bar adventure.
Here are the ingredients:
45 parts Plymouth Gin
15 parts French Vermouth
5 parts Luxardo Maraschino
3 parts Bigallet Créme de Violette
Stirred, not shaken!
Motto of day according to Dorothy Parker: “I like to have a martini, two at the very most. After three I’m under the table, after four I’m under my host.”
