Are Cocktails Straight?
fotos: diephotodesigner.de
Why do gay bars the world over have horrible cocktails? Beer, wine and long drinks are all good and well, but a truly great cocktail is what I most want when out on the town. GoGo boys and darkrooms have NOTHING on a well made gin martini.
Berlin offers no exceptions to this universal truth, but there is hope for all you thirsty ‘mos. Directly in the gayzone of Schöneberg is a great cocktail bar. The Green Door. No, it isn’t a “gay” bar. But given its location, it is frequented, if not overrun by the gays. It isn’t the “best” cocktail bar in Berlin, but certainly one of the best.
The Green Door does however have the honor of being the only place I have seen my mother drunk. She is not much of a drinker, but had a couple of drinks there a few years back, and was a mess! Sorry mom.
I have been going to the Green Door since 1997, and it has been around since 1995. I vaguely recall that it was trendy back then. Now it is reliable, familiar and even “classic”.
Things to love:
- Comprehensive cocktail menu and expert bartenders who can and will make you most anything
- Piri. She is a bartender, not a hot sauce! Extremely helpful and not cocktail-snobby. She introduced me to the Bijou cocktail, and I will forever be indebted to her for this.
- Free water with your cocktails. A really nice touch!
- Happy Hour! Everyday from 6pm to 9pm. Same quality drinks. Perfect for pre-dinner drinks.
Things to overlook:
- Call me a perfectionist, but in my experience the bartenders do not measure the ingredients. They are skilled, no doubt, but exactness is crucial for fantastic cocktails.
- Kay. Another bartender. In truth, he is kind of growing on me, but extremely cocktail-snobby and über sensitive (don’t even think about taking a napkin from the bar without asking). Have heard from several sources that he basically killed their experience at the bar.
- Smoking allowed. I am a non-smoker, and happily forgo a smoke free environment for a good cocktail. The air can get a bit thick, but in summer you can escape outside.
If you must stay in the gayborhood, at least upgrade your drinking and head to the Green Door.
