Whisky Bar Bombay Saphire in Berlin: a true gem

Posted by On Juni 28, 2014 1.871 Comments

When people ask me if I drink alcohol, I always answer them I don’t. But I do appreciate a good whisky.

Whisky bar Bomay Saphire in Prenzlauer Berg

Whisky bar Bombay Saphire in the Bötzowstrasse, Prenzlauer Berg, is definitely worth the visit for every afficianado out there. They have over 200 whiskies from all over the world to choose from! This might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but fear not: the friendly bartenders know their spirits, and they are more than happy to share their knowledge with you.

While the last night of February felt a lot like Spring, my friend and I got off the S-Bahn at Greifswalder Strasse, just a ten minute walk to the Bötzowstrasse. Upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised that we actually had to ring the bell in order to get in. We handed our coats to the bartender and were asked to be seated at the bar. No, not those two chairs please – those are already reserved. Wow. Reserved bar seats? Who would have thought one would experience that in Berlin? The way we were welcomed gave the bar that extra bit of oompfh.

 As I am very much the starter when it comes to the liquid gold, I asked the bartender, dressed in immaculate black, to guide me. All I know about whisky, is that I like them old and smokey. This seemed a bit of a broad description, so the bartender asked me to narrow it down in terms of price per glass. Was I willing to spend more than nine euro on one glas (two fingers) of whisky? Not really. And I certainly wasn’t going to spend 45 euro for a glass of Japanese whisky!

Menu of whiskies in the Bombay Saphire Bar in Berlin

No problem: Bombay Saphire caters to those with a smaller budget as well; and with plenty of choice! The bartender came back with four bottles to choose from. After a short introduction and some bottle sniffing, I decided to go with the Laphroaig (ten years old) from the island of Islay, Scotland. Delicious. Smokey. Warming the heart, soothing the nerves. My friend opted for the famous Ardbeg whisky, from the same island as the Laphroaig, yet a complete different taste.

We decided to exchange the bar seats for the more comfortable lounge sofas. As the evening Bombay Saphire in Prenzlauer Bergprogressed, I decided to try something completely different; a very fruity, light whisky while my friend was eager to try the Laphroaig for himself. The bartenders kept everyone satisfied while making sure that none of the guests would ever run out of the complimentary fresh water and wasabi nuts. From our corner, we observed the crowd while soft, modern jazz tunes provided us with the perfect background music.

The Bombay Saphire whisky bar is the perfect place for connoisseurs, newcomers to the world of whisky and for thos who like cocktails, cognac and other spirits. Mind you: it is a bar where everyone is allowed to smoke, and it tends to get pretty crowded after 23:00. The drinks are not cheap and you are expected to be on your best behaviour. But that’s just the way we like it!

Bombay Saphire
Bötzowstrasse 31
10407 Berlin
Open daily from 20:00 – 02:00
www.saphirebar.de