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Why order a bland drink you have back home when you can try one of many Szenegetränken (hip drinks) that Berliners love? Here's a dictionary of strange and delicious drinks and drink brands you may spot on bar menus around town.
Popular Drinks in Berlin
Ayran - Salty Turkish yoghurt drink, great with a Döner kebab. Also available sweet, flavoured with mango or cherry.
Cidre - Alcoholic fruit juice drink, mainly from apples.
Diesel - Half beer, half co*ke.
Fassbrause - Soda made from fruit, spices and malt extract. Very Berlinerisch.
Gespritztes - Half beer, half Fassbrause.
KiBa - Half cherry (Kirsch) juice, half banana juice. The best tropical drink in the galaxy.
Radler, Alster - Half beer, half orange or lemon/lime soda.
Schorle - Half fruit juice, half sparkling water, usually freshly made. Apfelschorle is common.
Späti co*cktail - Any mix made in your local Spätkauf late night shop; a cheap sweet or fruity drink mixed with the cheapest booze. Go wild!
Local Berlin & German Drink Brands
Made in Berlin, or elsewhere in/around Germany.
Afri-Cola, Fritz Cola - Local cola brands with high caffeine content.
Almdudler - An Austrian mix of apple and grape juice with herbs.
Ampelmännchen - Lightly carbonated mineral water with apple-pomegranate or apple-kiwi taste. Red and green, like the Berlin traffic light man. Only in shops.
Baola - Fair-trade, organic Baobab fruit drink, either pure or with mango, cherry or guarana. Made in Munich.
Berliner Mätchen - Apple Schorle with mate tea extract.
Berliner Weisse mit Schuss - Sour wheat beer made tasty with a shot of raspberry (Himbeer, red), woodruff (Waldmeister, green) or other syrups. Served with a straw.
Berliner Sommer/Winter - Organic drink with apple juice and 10% vodka, plus lime & woodruff (summer) or spices (winter).
Bionade, BioZisch - Refreshing fruit juice brewed with sparkling water. Try the Holunder (elderberry) or Ingwer (ginger) varieties.
BRLO Craft beers brewed in Berlin: Helles and Pale Ale.
Club Cola - East Germany's very own cola, since 1967, in Original and Null Zucker varieties.
Club Mate - Highly caffeinated Bavarian drink with mate tea extract, pronounced 'kloob mah-te'. Take two gulps and top up the bottle with booze for a Vodka-Mate or Sekt-Mate.
Glam Cola - Kreuzberg's natural cola, sweetened with fruit juices.
Hopster - Alcohol-free hop lemonade, made in Bavaria.
Kreuzbär - Berlin-made Fassbrause with caffeine; Kreuzbärchen is caffeine-free and suitable for kids.
OBC Cidre - 'Original Berliner Cidre', with classic, strong and rose ciders.
OstMost - Berlin-made juice, Schorle, and cider from apples grown in bird-friendly orchards.
Proviant - Bottled smoothies, lemonades and Schorle, made in Berlin with fresh organic fruit.
Spezi, Schwip-Schwap - Half cola, half orange soda.
Tannenzäpfle - 'Fir cone' beer, aka 'Zäpfle'. Brewed in the Black Forest, with a 1950s label design.
Wostok Tannenwald - Soviet-inspired lemonade with pine needle oil, taiga root and cardamom. Also in Green (tarragon-ginger) and Faraway Fruit (date-pomegranate) versions.
