#4 | Frederick's, Berlin, Germany
Visit: Summer 2022
New beginnings in Berlin, when one bar changes leadership. another one opens with familiar faces. Sometimes not so very far away. My return to Berlin this summer took me to Arnd Henning Heissen's new venue, Frederick's, a place to get lost in during long nights.
Berlin is not a small city and trying to cover all bars (or Cafes for that matter) in a limited amount of time has always been a challenge. Quite convenient then that the new temple of drinking by Arnd is located literally across the street from his previous work at the Curtain Club of the Ritz Carlton Berlin at Potsdamer Platz. Formerly a Grand Hotel the new venue is massive, not only does it feature a bar, but also a restaurant, lounges, upstairs areas, bookable meeting rooms and while there isn’t a hotel anymore, as far as I know, there are luxury apartments in the same building.
Frederick’s incl. Lounge Bar, Restaurant, etc.. / Copyright: Frederick’s
Arnd's influence, his vision and achievements deserve its own article when we come back to talk about the Curtain Club, for now we want to take a look at Frederick's Bar and the new concepts he has introduced to Germanys capital. If you enjoy the atmosphere of high-end design hotels paired with Berlin clubs, Frederick's will make you feel welcomed. There is a lobby-esque counter staffed by multiple people where you can state your destination: Bars or Restaurants. Going to the bar itself takes you past long corridors and a wardrobe into a tall space with a central barcounter in the middle. Neonlight artworks above the bar and funky atmospheric music will let you know that you are indeed in Berlin and not a 5 star hotel bar in New York or Singapore.
Frederick’s Main Bar / Copyright: Frederick’s
One thing that all new openings in Berlin seem to have in common is the absolutely professionalised service mentality of staff and location. Everything seems to follow some kind of plan, from getting seated to having a waiter assigned to your table. I had no trouble finding a spot, it was pretty full though, as expected on a weekend in the middle of Berlin. Most people were drinking beer and wine, also to be expected in Germany, cocktail culture aside from whatever is trendy (GnT, Longdrinks, Food pairing & Fine Dining) is still not the reason people go out to drink. If you have ever been to the Curtain Club, or Fragrances, during Arnd's time, you can expect more of the same attitude at Frederick's. The selection of spirits, aside from a solid base of Whiskey/y, features a lot of alcohol from South and Central America, each drink is represented by a whirl of shapes and colors and they are served in striking glasses.
The vision here, if one also follows Arnd’s gardening projects or travels, seems to be a kind of urban jungle retreat, a place where the outside world does not exist and one is supposed to get lost in the sounds and scents and tastes of imaginative other worlds. The drinks follow this concept, they are mostly easy to drink in terms of alcohol and the entire sensory experience seems to matter a bit more than just the taste of the drink itself. For those who did not like Fragrances before, Frederick's will not be a place where they would be very happy.
The drinks that I tried, having a hard choice between those that reminded me of favorites from Fragrances and curious novelties were:
Eyes Wide Shut
St. Jaimes Royal ambre
Plum Sake
Cointreau
DSM patchouli eau de vie
Verjuice
Wostok plum & cardamom
Cinamon-frankincense, vanilla, honey, Grenadine
A light, fruity drink that despite its spicy ingredients counters that with plenty of sugar and sweetness. The scent leaves me wanting a more complex experience instead of a summery lemonade. Maybe if this drink had a perfume associated with it, the concept would fully work. We have been there though and done that. Wostok is a lemonade already, which, together with all of the sugars, gives this drink far more of a summery, tropical flair than maybe intented.
Fire Walk With Me
Dalmore 12
Martini riserva ambrato
Pimento dram
Fukamari sake
DSM frankincense eau de vie
DSM patchouli eau de vie
Oud-copal-sandalwood-agave syrup
Angostura bitters
Another combination of herbal, spicy and floral flavors, unfortunately the Dalmore, as so often, pushes forward too harshly in this drink and all of the little, delicate aromas are usually left behind either the pure alcohol or whatever sour or sweet (Pimento dram and syrup in this case) is used to tie it together. The sake deserves a more prominent role, as well as the truly high quality DSM spirits, which honestly could serve as a base for this drink instead of (this) Dalmore.
None of the ingredients are of bad quality, it is actually incredibly impressive to see DSM (of which there is a great selection), good Sake and other East Asian and South American craft spirits actually widely used on a menu and not just have them in case a customer does recognize them and orders them. I can understand purists who prefer good classics with solid ingredients, instead of complex concoctions of eau-de-vies and homemade syrups that read like the back of perfume bottle. I was in love with this vision back in Fragrances and it does still draw me back to such places, that are different than any other bar and that attempt to bridge the gap between drinks and other sensory experiences. Frederick's however is not Fragrances. And for what it wants to be, a place for eating, drinking and celebrating away the night, it might just lack that step. Next time I might try the restaurant as well and have a classic drink prepared. I can imagine though that they might be able to produce some incredible Mezcal based lime plus liquor custom drinks or twisted Daiquiris with DSM spirits added. I would hope that there is the right kind of audience to take the time to give these drinks the context they need so they don’t just feel flat.
Cheers,
/jf
