Berlin's cocktail scene developed differently from London or New York. While those cities built upward — more bars, more seats, more theatrics — Berlin went in the opposite direction. Buck and Breck has 14 seats. Becketts Kopf seats 20. Victoria Bar seats 30. This is a city that treats cocktail bars like libraries: places for quiet concentration, not performance. The result is a standard that punches well above the city's price point.
You will pay less for a better Martini in Berlin than in any other major European capital. The city's bartenders tend to have deep technical knowledge and strong opinions about dilution. These are not always comfortable places for those who want to point at a menu and receive a drink without discussion. They are exceptional places for those who want to learn something about what they are drinking.
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