#24 | Goldene Bar, Munich, Germany
Last Visit: Fall 2023
Ranting about the lack of high-class bars in German hotels is something of a hobby of mine, but high-class bars in (high-class) museums? I don't think there will be too many, even internationally, although I would very much like to see the opposite. I've already raved about pop-up bars in museums and exciting, new exhibitions in our Thoughts article, or rather dreamed about them. Following that line of thought, this time we're talking about the Goldene Bar in Munich, at the “Haus der Kunst” (House of Art), right next to the English Garden.
It bears the burden and at the same time the honor of an illustrious history. The first bar opened as early as 1937, together with the museum, which was designed as a typical pompous and prestigious Nazi building. In addition to furnishings for palaces, the architect, Paul Ludwig Troost, had also fitted out luxury liners and both influences can be seen in the Goldene Bar too. It is definitely one of the most visually impressive bars in the country, with its famous golden murals dating back to the opening days. These show sections of world maps and, fascinatingly, even included references to important aspects of bar, spirits and wine culture, e.g., Scotland, Sherry, the transportation of sugar cane, etc., as early as the 1930s.
The way to the bar should also be mentioned: located at the rear, right-hand corner of the building, you walk past the outside of the complex and then through the entrance, first through a long, nicely designed corridor belonging to the bar with several cozy seating options and a very cool, small “front” bar with a counter. Outside, on the huge stone museum terrace, it gets very crowded in summer with temporary seating and, at especially hot times, exclusively outdoor service.
Copyright: Alescha Birkenholz
Bar owner Klaus St. Rainer is one of the best-known names in the German bar scene, a reputation that has been built up over two decades (only counting the top bars). Over 7 years at world-famous Schumann's, followed in 2010 by the grand opening of a long held dream, our object of discussion here. Jury member in the World Class Competition, repeatedly involved in numerous international projects (even before the opening of the Goldene Bar), published 3 books and created and marketed 2 world-class bitters. By the way, I consider “Cocktails: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks” to be one of the best bar books available, especially of the few quality ones available in German; more details on this later in our Books category. So you can see that you are in safe hands, or at least in what they have built up.
The menu here is huge, with over 65 drinks (if you count the 8 non-alcoholic ones) during my last visit, which is almost record-breaking as far as print menus go. Of course, seasonal, creatively designed art objects with 10–12 drinks in small format also have their charm, to mention the opposite extreme. But I also love the now rare occasions when you come across a “best of 20+ years of bar experience and drink optimization”. The legendary Shepheard in Cologne also had a menu like this until it closed, with the highlights of over 5 highly talented bartenders who came over the years and sought new challenges later within the spirit industry, mostly. The only other high-end bar having such a large menu I know of is Seiberts, also in the city on the Rhine, which is certainly some day getting its own extensive review.
Dead Presidente
| Sixty Six Rum
| Molasses Grenadine
| Noilly Prat
| OK Drops
Typical second row classics always have a place in my heart and I always like to order them, if only as a silent thank you to the bar for finding the drink in question on a “normal” menu. So here we have a little El Presidente twist, the orange liqueur is omitted, homemade, hearty and fruity pomegranate molasses instead of standard grenadine and the internationally acclaimed OK Bitters/Drops from St. Rainer himself are used. The result is a wonderfully harmonious, elegant and palatable rum drink with the necessary balance of fruit and subtle spice. Exciting, as rum + fruit unfortunately almost always equals sour or some kind of Banana Old Fashioned, although there are so many exciting things to discover in the stirred drinks category and here we have a nice example.
Smooth Criminal
| Stork Rye
| Orange Curaçao
| Luxardo Maraschino
| Sugar
| Fresh Pineapple
| Champagne Perrier-Jouët
I really could have chosen half a dozen other drinks as my second, that's how huge this menu is. But I was taken with the unusual combination of rye whiskey, pineapple and champagne, based on a Prince of Wales, or one of the various variations that go by the name. Perfectly prepared and served, it also shows what distinguishes the Goldene Bar: Precision, craftsmanship, classic drinks and not too much fuss. The Stork Rye, which tends to be blessed with light, nutty notes and, interestingly, can be found everywhere in Munich, goes perfectly with a crisp, dry champagne. Incidentally, this champagne being Pierre Jouët is a very high-quality one and also the choice of my No. 1 bar worldwide, so bonus points on my part here too. There are also bonus points for the last, fabulous choice: no pineapple juice in the shaker, only one or two small pineapple cubes of 2-3 cm each are shaken with the drink, nothing more. This contributes to the beautifully dry and harmonious taste, a crisp drink with a nice body — whether with a meal or to round off a summer evening.
Two other recommendations, already ordered (several times) on previous visits and regular staples of the bar in the museum, are the Dirty Old Bastard, with Ardbeg 10, Lapsang Souchong syrup, chili and the homemade Sexy Bitters, as well as the always well-balanced Corn 'N' Oil. Another B-category classic that I would like to see more often in bars and here prepared with Black Tot Rum, homemade Falernum and again the Sexy Bitters. Both drinks score with power, strength and spice, but are still balanced nicely and handle the melting water well without losing their edge.
So what do we think of the Goldene Bar? It has become clear on various visits that it more than lives up to its reputation as one of the “modern classics” of the German bar scene. The mix of a huge menu with mostly signatures (albeit often small twists on a classic) for every taste, the absolutely fantastic location, the relaxed atmosphere despite this location and elegance, as well as the possibility to eat full meals, are an unbeatable combination and make the Goldene Bar still one of the most important tips in Munich today. I think it would be exciting to see a focused, themed menu with 6–10 drinks and some design behind it as a “bonus” in a bar like this, away from the special summer sippers at 30 degrees Celsius outside. I'm sure it wouldn't disappoint either and would perhaps bring a little more current focus to this institution within the bar scene, even if it's certainly not necessary.
