Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg

Population: 268,225
Sub-districts: 2
Friedrichshain
Kreuzberg

Berlin, for the moment, is still cool and this district is probably, for the moment, its coolest. The problem with a lot of establishments in this borough though is their door policies, which can vary from mildly nationalistic to quite simply without reason. If you don't get rejected your friends might. It's not fair, it's often frustrating, but it's just the way it goes.

To avoid this potential stress, and still have fun, go for something to sup at Zyankali. Lie amongst the potted plastic skeletons with mint and thyme growing through their rib cages, enjoy the complimentary popcorn served in surgery standard kidney bowls and sample Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg's finest non-pretentious mélange of substance, style and silliness.

Zyankali Bar – Institut für Unterhaltungschemie |

Potassium Cyanide Bar ­– Institute for Entertainment Chemistry

This terrific table-service cocktail bar was established in 1991 and is, today, outstanding for two reasons.

The first aspect of its brilliance is its irreverent style. Even in this colourful, anti-whatever-borough, Zyankali's facade manages to stand out. Its gaudy yellow paint on its outdoor stucco walls irradiates the eyes of would-be passer-bys and is infectious – something about moths and flames. Plain office chairs and black-plastic-wrapped hospital beds are peppered about the open plan main room. The black & yellow biohazard scheme is maintained in the English and German language menus and is furthered by the ironic health and safety signs splashed about the walls and tables. The small downstairs room – home to a fußball table, a pinball machine and a compact dancefloor – is painted all in black.

The second aspect of its success is its electric, eclectic, eccentric substance. Zyankali distills, grows and bottle or cask-matures an incredible number of its own spirits, herbs and extracts. The bubbling beakers and periodic table posters about the place are only slight allusions to the very real experimentation the bar undertakes. Fat-washing is seen by many as gimmicky but is as well-studied here as their more old school cask and bottle rinses. Zyankali is touristic but is also at the same time a far cry from the happy hour production lines elsewhere in the city.

An affordable highlight from the menu is the €8 'Laudanum' – inspired by the 19th Century psychedelic alcohol-opium blend. Its spirit base, the seven-year-aged Indian dark rum Old Monk, is machine-blended with the guava tasting and known-to-be hallucinogenic marula-derived African cream liqueur, Amarula, and Zyankali's homemade sweet and oh-so-vanilla crème brûlée syrup. The drink is then served with a smile in a laboratory-standard beaker on a napkin. This is entry-level and is, to this Institut, simply elementary.

The top end of the 100-strong drinks list is 'Blackbeard's Blood', which features premium Gosling Old – or 'Family Reserve' – Rum, minty-sweet and German Underberg bitters, cocoa beans and roasted chicken wing skins, all matured in a sherry cask for two to three months and then served with chocolate balsamico vinegar and dry prune juice, depending on your disposition, might just be the best/worst €18 you spend during your stay.

Gneisenaustraße 17, 10961 Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg

U-Bahn: U6 Gneisenaustraße; U6, U7 Mehringdamm

Open: Sunday-Thursday, 16.00-01.00; Friday-Saturday, 16.00-4.00

zyankali.de/

Other Sites of Interest

This district is choca bloc, as me nana would say, with things to see and do, though Kreuzberg is my preferred side of the Spree...

For a glorious elevated panorama of Berlin, including Potsdamer Platz, the Victory Column of Tiergarten and the TV Tower, make your way to the top of

Viktoriapark, 10965 Kreuzberg

U-Bahn: U6 Platz der Luftbrücke; U7 Yorckstraße

Naturally, you should see the Mauer (Wall) while you're here but don't miss the even more obvious, fairy-tale-like Oberbaumbrücke

10243 Kreuzberg

U-Bahn: U1 Warschauer Straße

From Warschauer Straße make your way over the Oberbaumbrücke and keep an eye on the left hand side. Taking up a full wall just outside of the entrance to the techno club Watergate is one of my favourite pieces of street art. The man responsible is called Blu. He's also got some work by Cuvrystraße...

Falckensteinstraße 49, 10997 Kreuzberg
U-Bahn: U1 Schlesisches Tor