Thinking about ditching booze for dry January, or for good? These Berlin bars make their alcohol-free cocktails the stars of their menu, rather than afterthoughts, resulting in drinks that rival their boozy counterparts. Skip the soft drinks and enjoy the amazing creations from Berlin’s craftiest bars.
Green Door Bar
A true gem in Berlin’s cocktail scene, this polished bar has spent decades serving some of the most visionary drinks in the city. Their eight diversely-flavoured mocktails range from fermented tea and juice wine alternatives to full-bodied alcohol-free rum laced with honey and nutmeg. Give their Citrus Season mocktail a try, a delicate blend with bright aromas that combine lemon, bergamot, ylang-ylang and alcohol-free gin. This being a speakeasy, make sure to ring the doorbell to be let in.
- Green Door Bar, Winterfeldtstr. 50, Schöneberg, details.
Mr. Susan
This stylish Korean-owned bar offers six cocktails prepared with alcohol-free liquors. Half of their mocktails are swapped periodically to make room for top-notch seasonal flavours. Hot tip: order a side of homemade kimchi, available year round. To spice up a dull night, order their staff favourite, the Korean Paloma. This peppery drink stars gochujang, tequila, mandarin and lime.
- Mr. Susan, Krausnickstr. 1, Mitte, details.
THE GIN ROOM
This swanky spot has become the unofficial stomping grounds of westside gin lovers. Just because you’re skipping the strong stuff, it doesn’t mean you can’t sample your way around the menu. Their massive inventory (550+ gins!) features 16 alcohol-free gins, which they turn into eight mocktails. For a tart refreshing fusion try the Sober Squirrel (don’t skip the kumquats) with Heimat’s Vogelfrei Botanical Gin, which is steeped with the likes of lemon verbena, ginger and meadow sage.
- THE GIN ROOM, Pariser Str. 38, Wilmersdorf, details.
The Alchemist
To brush this bar and eatery aside because of its prime touristy location at Potsdamer Platz would be a mistake. The Alchemist’s menu boasts a full page of fun and flashy alcohol-free concoctions, and if you like drinks with a visual flair, you’re definitely in for a treat. Case in point: the Shade Switcher, a lemony apple mocktail that incorporates colour changing magic and dry ice, because why wouldn’t it?
- The Alchemist, The Playce, Linkstr. 4, Mitte, details.
