Good cocktails can’t be found in every city, but Berlin is the cosmopolitan center of Europe. Suffering through years of fractious European politics, Berlin emerged in this century as one of the best cities I’ve visited. It also serves as one point where the resurgence in classic cocktails originated.
When I showed up in the city, taking a mini-vacation before doing some work in Frankfurt, I began looking for a cocktail bar. And if I believed the many signs up and down the streets, I had found plenty. But I quickly found that Berliners will put up a sign that says cocktail bar over any place that serves mixed drinks. It was time to do some research. Online I found a few promising leads, the most likely being a place called The Green Door.
I found my way from my hotel on the Kurfurstendam on a warm Fall evening down a few blocks to a street called Winterfeldtstraße. The building exterior looked quaintly German, but the green neon sign over the door told me I was in the right place. 
It was packed inside, and this being a Tuesday evening I figured it was a pretty popular place. Forced to stand by the wall, I flagged down a waitress and asked for a menu. Or, at least, I thought I had. Trying to say ‘Karte’, the waitress looked at me in incomprehension. Then I went to English and tried ‘Menu’. No good. Finally I tried ‘Drink List’, and that got a response.
She brought the menu and I perused the list of house creations. Yes, this was a real cocktail bar. But one thing I had realized from earlier places, and proved here, was that Berliners prefer fruit-driven cocktails. I assumed this has to do with the Northern climate, and the thirst for any hint of the tropics.
Finding something called the Laughing Buddha on the menu that didn’t look too fruity, and yet was original, I placed my order. It was a tasty drink, gin-based, in tall glass, and I was able to work my way further into the bar as the crowd shifted.
Hearing English spoken behind me, I turned and said hi to two guys enjoying their drinks. One of them pointed out that there were only three good cocktail bars in Berlin, The Green Door, The Rum Trader, and The Victoria Bar.
On another evening I made my way to The Victoria Bar. It was across town, in what used to be East Berlin, on Potsdamer Strasse. It was a weekday night, early, and the place was uncrowded. The street outside had looked sketchy, but the bar was nicely appointed.
The bartender here spoke English, making requesting of cocktail lists much easier. The menu was full of the usual fruity drinks, of which I was tired, so I opted for a more interesting choice, the Smoker’s Delight. This scotch-based cocktail also had something called Mozart’s Black Chocolate, which gave the whole concoction an excellent smoky taste. It was just what I had been craving.
I’m afraid I didn’t actually get to drink at this bar, as it was closed on the night I tried to go. But I think it worth mentioning, as it was recommended to me, and I have since read good reviews online. I had been warned that it was difficult to find, a small place on a second floor, and you have to ring a bell to be let in.
I wandered through the Berlin streets until I found the address, which was close to the Kurfurstendam. After some walking up and down residential blocks, I finally spotted a brass plaque on the side of a building. It read Rum Trader and was next to a door with a buzzer. I will certainly try this place again next time I’m in Berlin.