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When
it comes to the sophisticated lifestyle of jazz
and cocktails, Germany inhabits a position somewhere
between Tadjikistan and Bangladesh. This is due
in large part to German culture being based upon
military marches and beer. Indeed, it is hard
to fathom how Germans ever considered themselves
(as many of them still do) the “master race”
given the thin gruel upon which they have based
their civilization.
Slowly
but surely, however, the total domination of Germany
by America is having positive effects, not the
least of which is that, armed with insider information
and a little bit of persistence, it is now possible
in the city of the Oktoberfest to find martinis,
Manhattans and other fine cocktails of better
than average quality.
First
of all, let’s give credit where credit is
due. For a German to embrace the swinging lifestyle
requires a tremendous leap of faith. There is
no German equivalent for the word “swing.”
If you’ve ever been in a German jazz club
you can pick out the natives right away. The bands
of Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie and Woody Herman
combined couldn’t get a German to tap his
toes.
And
the adult beverages! It’s all beer based.
In addition to the standard 735 kinds of beer,
your typical German bar serves concoctions like
beer and coke, beer and vodka, beer and lemonade
and caipi-beer, that is, beer laced with a Brazilian
caipirinha. If that isn’t sacrilege, I don’t
know what is.
As
more Americans work in Germany and as German tastes
evolve beyond a permanent frat-boy infatuation
with beer, more bars are beginning to serve American-style
cocktails. A word to the wise, however, is necessary
at this point. “”American-style cocktails”
are often no more American than Swiss steak is
Swiss. That “dry martini” you ordered
may turn out to have a gin/vermouth ratio of 3:2
or 1:1. It is best to query the bartender beforehand
and find out how he mixes his drinks. Don’t
be embarrassed. You’re paying for it and
you have a right to know what’s going to
splash down your tonsils.
Fortunately,
there are some Munich bars where they know their
stuff and you can order your drinks without having
to send them to the lab for analysis.
The
Roosevelt Bar
There
is something extremely satisfying to have in Munich,
the city where the Nazi movement originated, a
bar named after martini-loving President Franklin
D. Roosevelt whose image is prominently featured
on the bar’s menus. This is the ultimate
revenge against Ol’ Shiklgruber who, in addition
to being one of the worst mass murderers of all
time, was a vegetarian and teetotaler.
The
service at the Roosevelt Bar is excellent, and
the dry martini I ordered was promptly served
and sufficiently cold. It was perhaps not as dry
as it could be, but given European standards it
was exceptional. Although I was not asked by the
waiter whether or not I wanted olives or a twist,
when the drink was served there were three olives
on the side. [For the record, the author considers
anything besides gin and a microscopic trace of
vermouth to be verboten in a martini. Vegetables
have no place in an adult beverage.] The ambience
of the bar is very nice and the al fresco seating
is shaded and relaxed. Also, just around the corner
is one of the outlets of Munich-based San Francisco
Coffee, a Starbucks-style chain of coffeehouses
that serves excellent coffee and pastries.
Conveniently
located on a quiet side street next to the Lehel
U-Bahn station (Lines 4 & 5) and the Lehel
Tram stop (Line 17), the Roosevelt Bar is the
perfect antidote to the vulgarity of that last
bastion of National Socialism, to wit, the beer
hall.
The
Roosevelt Bar—Thierschplatz 5, Open 5pm to
1am Fridays and Saturdays open until 3am, Phone:
089 21 57 83 00
Pusser’s—A New York Bar
Upon
entering Pusser’s Bar one is transported
out of the declasse milieu of beer-drinking brown
shirts into the refined realm of America and the
rest of the English-speaking world. The dark wood
paneling, the finely stocked bar with every important
brand of gin, bourbon and single-malt scotch,
the preponderance of ice (that substance so essentially
important to la dolce vita, but so universally
feared by our limp-wristed European cousins),
and a sound system that plays only the best of
American jazz (e.g., Chet Baker and Count Basie)
at a low enough volume to encourage witty conversation
or quiet contemplation of the potable at hand,
immediately assures one that one has indeed encountered
the “real thing.”
The
bartenders are knowledgeable, polite and professional
to the core. When ordering a drink they ask which
brand of gin you prefer and whether or not you
want olives or a twist. Noilly Prat vermouth is
used. The martini glasses are immediately put
into ice to chill. A cocktail shaker is filled
with ice, a dollop of vermouth is then poured
in, stirred and dumped out. The cocktail shaker
is again filled with ice, the gin (Bombay Sapphire
in this case) is poured in and stirred, and then
the elixir of life is strained into the pre-chilled
martini glass. This is a martini as God and the
Founding Fathers meant it to be.
Pusser’s
is the premiere American-style cocktail bar in
Bavaria, so much so that the author believes that
the American Consulate should take over the premises
so that it can be declared to be American soil
and Marine guards should be posted to protect
this most valuable Munich institution.
Pusser’s
is out of the way but easy to reach by taking
Tram 19 and getting off at the “National
Theater” stop. Falkenturmstrasse is a side
street across from the National Theater and twists
to the left.
Pusser’s--Falkenturmstrasse
9, Open Mondays through Saturdays 4pm to 3am,
Sundays 6pm to 3am, Phone: 089 22 05 00
Henry’s—A Manhattan Bar
Just
several doors away from Pusser’s on Falkenturmstrasse
is Henry’s, an unpretentious establishment
that in America would be classified as a college
dive. Munich guidebooks treat Henry’s as
though it were in the same league as Pusser’s
and the Roosevelt Bar. Obviously the authors of
those guides have never actually set foot in Henry’s.
A pleasant bar, Henry’s is remarkable for
having a happy hour that is posted as being from
10-12 midnight, but seems to be in force at other
times as well. The happy hour drinks are €
5, which is a bargain given that most European
cocktail bars charge around € 7-12 for a
drink. Blame it on socialism. The staff is friendly
and attentive, but the drinks are mediocre. That
said, if you’re on a budget or if you’re
not choosy, Henry’s is the place for you.
Martinis
are not on the drinks menu. Well, as the old saying
goes, a man’s got to know his limitations.
If Henry’s bartenders aren’t up to playing
in the martini big leagues, one has to admire
their honesty. Better no martini than a mediocre
or bad one. The Manhattan I ordered was ok but
not great. And it lacked maraschino cherries,
even though a bowl of them was sitting out on
the bar in plain view. To serve a Manhattan sans
maraschino cherries is an abomination and bespeaks
a woeful lack of basic bartending skills. And
even worse, playing on the sound system Henry’s
has rap music and other crude products of what
laughingly passes for musical pop culture these
days. This makes subtle witticisms and quiet contemplation
nearly impossible. But if you’re young, dumb
and haven’t yet developed a sense of taste,
Henry’s will do just fine. Adults will want
to stick with the Roosevelt and Pusser’s.
Henry's--
Maximilianstrasse 10 (actually on Falkenturmstrasse
close to Pusser’s), Open daily 8pm to 4am,
Phone: 089 291 37 33
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