Six bars and their signature drinks

No two drinks are the same: On a taste excursion through the Düsseldorf bar scene

The longest bar in the world, it is still getting longer - and more exciting! Because the fun-loving Rhinelander toasts the good life not only in the cult breweries. The metropolis is peppered with cool bars across all parts of the city, where the evening can be extended almost at will. We have filtered out six establishments for you that not only offer an atmospheric ambience, but also particularly sophisticated signature drinks. Does the past day call for exoticism, a taste experiment? Or for the sober variant of a classic? On our excursion into the world of long nights, everything is possible. One thing is certain: no one in Düsseldorf goes to bed thirsty.

Beuys Bar

In Neubrückstrasse, not 300 meters from the art academy where Joseph Beuys proclaimed his provocative theses as a professor, his descendants are now toasting his good fortune. "Not a few are called, but all," Beuys said at the time. And this idea of inclusion, which elevates everyone to the status of an artist, lives on in the bar named after him. Students and business people, tourists and old-town fans - the crowd is well mixed. The signature cocktails, such as the "Beuys in the Hood," are also free of conventions. It combines popcorn bourbon, maple syrup, lime, egg white and apple foam in an eclectic chord. Beuys would have been delighted.    

Petit Punch

Sandra Carrara Rey and Marcel Dalbeck have been mixing drinkable cocktails in a former sugar bakery in Pempelfort since 2018. Nearly 50 types of rum are on the menu at Petit Punch, whose name refers to a drink that originated in the French Antilles. The "Ti Punch," as locals and connoisseurs abbreviate the namesake sour made from rhum agricole, lime and cane sugar, is then Carrara Rey and Dalbeck's house drink, albeit in a slightly less potent version than the one you get in Martinique. "Adapted to the local palate," Dalbeck says with a laugh. Also popular with the gastro couple are the Clean Cut Basil, a crystal-clear version of the usually squeaky green Basil Smash, and the Saffron Daiquiri, which is inimitable. In it, a proprietary rum blend infused with saffron, homemade orange liqueur, saffron syrup also produced in-house, fresh lime juice and buttermilk marry to create a creamy drink with subtle orange notes. Be sure to try it!    

Lupin Gin Bar

What rum is to Petit Punch, gin is to Lupin. Countless varieties of the juniper schnapps can be found on the shelves of Lupin on Ackerstraße, and anyone who loves gin and tonic will be spoiled for choice here. The range also includes umpteen tonics. The fact that the cozy bar even serves non-alcoholic gin varieties shows how close to the pulse of the times they are here. After all, sober bars are the trend of the moment. The establishment has no fewer than five signature drinks, the most popular of which is the Lupin Smash made from Italicus bergamot liqueur, huckleberries, fresh mint, lime, sugar and cranberry juice.  

Bar Ellington

Near the main train station, between betting stores and erotic stores, the ambience is cosmopolitan urban. Thanks to its large windows, the turbulent street life of this area that never sleeps can be perfectly overlooked from the stylishly furnished Bar Ellington. That's the first plus. The second: owner Robert Potthoff's cocktails are among the best in town, especially the James Bond-inspired signature drink Q, based on vodka, lime, cucumber, and sugar syrup, which gets a spicy, refreshing note from the addition of wasabi. The elegance of the Ellington is no accident. Bar legend Potthoff not only knows his way around spirits, he also studied interior design. 

Squarebar

David Rippen, the owner of the cozy Squarebar on Collenbachstraße in Derendorf, does not rely on conventional ingredients. He always puts ingredients he makes himself into the glass. Depending on the season, fresh vegetables, fruits or herbs refine his alcoholic beverages. But dried fruit, pickled herbs and sous-vide, i.e. vacuum-cooked, vegetables also form the basis of the in-house specialties, such as the beetroot tequila or the cypress dill. Rippen has christened one of his own particularly unusual creations with the melodious name "Love will Pear us Apart. For this, he combines nashi pear with Leblon Cachaca, verjus, Grafschafter apple slaw, cardamom and white chocolate.  

Elephant Bar

"The elephant is active during the day and at night and is a very social creature," says Walid El Sheikh, explaining the choice of name for his small but fine establishment on Kurze Straße. The exceptional restaurateur, who has already brought Düsseldorf the Sir Walter, the Oh Baby Anna, the Boston Bar and the Paradise Now! is pursuing big plans. El Sheikh's goal is to bring sophisticated bar culture to the old town. For Elephant Bar, he arranged mahogany wood, brass and green marble to create a modernist gentlemen's room where drinks are accompanied by old-school hip-hop sounds. Signature drink at Elephant is a whiskey sour based on a Wild Turkey 101. Big on flavor!

Cover picture: pureX Event