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100 SOPOT NIGHTLIFE
Goldwasser
No visit to Gdańsk is
complete without sampling
the local fire water,
Goldwasser vodka. Created
by Ambrose Vermollen,
a Dutch migrant
living in Gdańsk, the first
recorded mention of it
dates to 1598, though
it would be years later
that Vermollen would
open the first recorded distillery, Der Lachs (The
Salmon) on ul. Szeroka. His recipe combined over
20 herbs and roots, including cardamom, coriander,
juniper, cinnamon, wild orange, lavender, cloves and
thyme. A clever marketing trick that was all about
appearance and nothing to do with taste, 23 carat
gold leaves were added for luck, and the recipe has
since been passed down the generations, its current
owner being the German Carl Graf von Hardenberg.
The uniqueness of this idea shows that Vermoellen
was what would now be described as a marketing
genius. Of course, local legend is far more interesting,
and if you believe urban myth the gold flakes
appeared after Neptune grew increasingly irritated
that the natives were clogging up his fountain by
repeatedly throwing coins into it. Driven to despair
the irked God launched his trident into the fountain,
shattering the coins into millions of pieces. This,
according to some, is why you’ll find gold pieces
floating around in your bottle of Goldwasser. Story
number two paints a different picture. Apparently
Neptune was delighted by the natives’ habit of
throwing coins into his fountain, and decided to
reward their generosity by turning the water into a
tasty alcoholic beverage. Good man. Free-loading
landlords carted the booze off by the barrel, all
apart from the do-gooding owner of Pod Łososiem.
In return for his honesty, Neptune transformed his
stock of ordinary vodka into Goldwasser. Packing an
alcohol content of 40%, Goldwasser’s rich, syrupy
taste saw it gain popularity, and it wasn’t long before
it assumed favoured status by the kingpins of
Europe’s courts. Louis XIV was said to have been a
committed fan, and by 1767 cases of the liquor were
regularly being dispatched to the court of Imperial
Russia’s Catherine the Great. Fans of this story and
the drink will be delighted to know that the Salmon
(Der Lachs) is still around and now trades as the
exclusive Pod Lososiem restaurant where you can
get the original von Hardenberg Goldwasser which
is now imported from Germany. Also keep your eye
out for the German owned Goldwasser restaurant
on the waterfront which has specially produced gift
sets available to buy. On a final note it is also said
that the gold content of Goldwasser is useful in the
treatment of back and joint conditions although it is
unlikely that this was one of its goals 400 years ago.
Małe Piwko M-4, ul. Ogrodowa 8, tel. (+48) 502 70 05
03, www.sanatoriumsopot.pl. At Male Piwko (‘small beer’)
the only reason to limit the size of your brew is to ensure you
can sample as many as possible from the extensive beer
list. Labels like Ciechan, Kasztelan and even the exotically
girly Cornelius Grejpfrut are on hand, and though the space
is decorated with framed sports photos (you can sit across
from Ali landed a punch squarely on Frazier’s jaw) and a
large-screen TV it eschews the typical sports bar vibe. Sitting,
drinking and socialising is thankfully all that’s required,
and smokers will be pleased to find that the upper floor is
set aside for their use. QOpen 12:00 - 02:00. PXW
Papryka M-4, ul. Grunwaldzka 11, tel. (+48) 58 551 74
76, www.klubpapryka.pl. There most certainly is life beyond
Monte Cassino, and Papryka is all the evidence you need. Set
in a detached pre-war villa this place has more rooms than we
have fingers, each offering up a new surprise. Set over a number
of levels each room feels like a bar within a bar, with threadbare
sofas snapped up by a party crowd who can’t be bothered with
dress codes and attitude. Head to the top floor of this scarlet
labyrinth to find a dedicated mob making the wooden floors
bounce as they jig to acid-jazz and quasi funk. QOpen 15:00 -
02:00, Fri, Sat 15:00 - 04:00. PAEBXW
Pick & Roll M-2, ul. Zamkowa Góra 3-5, tel. (+48) 58
555 85 60, www.pickandroll.pl. Located next to the city’s
Aqua Park, this classy venue doubles up as a sports venue
and live music venue. The modern look does just enough to
hint at urban cool while the canopied outdoor area plays host
to some cracking concerts in the warmer months such as
British violinist Nigel Kennedy. Great food also available and
keep an eye out for their themed nights where you can dance
tango, salsa or the like. When there are big sporting events
on the booth seating makes for a great place to watch the
game on one of the 22 LCD televisions or 3 projector screens.
QOpen 14:00 - 22:00, Fri 14:00 - 24:00, Sat 12:00 - 24:00,
Sun 12:00 - 23:00. Closed Mon. PAUEGBW
Pinokio M-4, ul. Bohaterów Monte Cassino 45, tel.
(+48) 58 555 96 22, www.pinokio.sopot.pl. Sitting
amid saws and other rusty utensils the cheeky liar who
gave his name to this venue takes pride of place behind the
bar. Bathed with warm lighting and floor to ceiling windows
Pinokio attracts a mixed-aged crowd and boasts a plasma
screen relaying sport from one end of the room. In summer
the courtyard garden is a must-visit for those wanting to
combine tanning with drinking. Q Open 11:00 - 01:00. From
June open 09:00 - 01:00. AUGBW
Pub Charlie M-3, ul. Haffnera 59 (Hotel Haffner), tel.
(+48) 58 550 98 13, www.hotelhaffner.pl. Another hotel
bar which gets a mention because it’s more than a standard
hotel bar. There’s a real gentlemanly gait to this venue, with
dark leather seats offset by forest green colours, and while
the American menu gets praise of its own, the real clincher
here is the golf simulator; ideal for pub sportsmen to show
off their swing. QOpen 15:00 - 01:00, Sun 14:00 - 01:00.
PAUBXW
RetroMANIAK Klubo Galeria L-4, Al. Niepodległości
771a, tel. (+48) 512 89 84 23, www.retromaniak.com.
pl. Discreetly hidden somewhere behind the train station,
seek this one out if you like your dive bars to ooze style. As
eclectic as they come, Retromaniak’s vintage furnishings
range from twin beds to theatre seats, and the decor is
an appealing push/pull of glamour and garbage, featuring
dancing poles and disco balls against a ceiling covered in
aluminum foil, and a shaven-headed barmaid serving drinks
on a counter made of old VHS cassettes against a backdrop
Sopot In Your Pocket sopot.inyourpocket.com
promotional photos of early film stars. There’s no espresso
machine, but there is a great selection of regional beers, old
Polish films screening silently on the wall and a scattered
playlist of forgotten pop hits and ethnic rock that seems as
cobbled together as the DIY decor. Whether by carelessness
or contrivance, it’s one of the coolest venues we’ve discovered
lately and we’ll be back often. Q Open 19:00 - 01:00,
Fri, Sat 19:00 - 04:00. Closed Mon, Sun. From July open
15:00 - 01:00, Fri, Sat 19:00 - 04:00. Closed Sun. UGB
NEW
Shisha Bar & Lounge L-4, ul. Podjazd 2, tel. (+48) 58
551 57 22. Found in the weird and wonderful surrounds that
once housed the Wieloryb restaurant, previous visitors maybe
delighted to hear that the ornate decor, designed to replicate
the contents of a mythical whale’s stomach, has been left as
was by the new Turkish ownership. And while the early 20th
century porn still graces the Men’s toilet, Sheesha and cocktails
are now the order of the day. This reached legendary status in
its previous incarnation and this change in direction combined
with the unique decor may see it reach that level again. The
famous statue has had its penis chopped off mind. QOpen
16:00 - 24:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 16:00 - 03:00. PAGBW
Spółdzielnia Literacka L-5, ul. Króla Jana Kazimierza
2, tel. (+48) 58 550 06 50, www.spoldzielnialiteracka.
pl. Sopot drinking doesn’t get more leftfield than this. This
place looks industrial and half-finished, but that’s the look
the owners want, and it’s certainly worked in luring a weird
crowd of media tarts, hipsters and other geek fashion types.
Eclectic art displays, hundreds of crooked looking books and
a rather nutty music policy make this one to track down,
though not before you’ve dressed yourself in a tank top
and silly looking hat. QOpen 08:30 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 08:30 -
04:00, Sun 10:00 - 24:00. PAEGBW
sopot.inyourpocket.com
SOPOT NIGHTLIFE
Stary Rower M-4, ul. Pułaskiego 15, tel. (+48) 884
10 50 46. Huge, though who they’re hoping to attract is a
million dollar mystery. We’ve not seen more than a handful
of people, a blemish made all the more exaggerated by the
choice of bright lighting. The live music sounds promising,
but try finding anyone to confirm that. QOpen 18:00 - 24:00,
Fri, Sat 18:00 - 05:00. PAEGBW
Tawerna Sopocka M-4, ul. Haffnera 6 (Crooked
House), tel. (+48) 58 555 52 22, www.tawernasopocka.pl.
An unassuming little bar tucked away on the ground
floor of the Crooked House. What is essentially a room full of
heavy wooden tables and benches is a surprisingly convivial
place to have a few drinks and with a menu of reasonably
priced, straight forward Polish dishes (think soups, cutlets
and veg that kind of thing) you need not up sticks if you’re
settled. A haven amongst the more ‘in-your-face’ bars and
clubs that surround it, Tawerna is probably the most decent
pub in Sopot now that the Language Pub has passed on. Oh.
And keep an eye out for the Polish PM, Donald Tusk, who’s
been known to have a pint or two here. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00,
Fri, Sat 12:00 - 03:00. PAEBXW
NEW
Wyszynk Dwie Beczki M-4, ul. Bohaterów Monte
Cassino 41, tel. (+48) 58 341 58 01. A tiny, hole-inthe-wall
style bar midway down Monte Cassino with a good
choice of bottled beers, a few tables and decor provided
by old newspaper wallpaper. Simple but decent enough for
a few beers with the locals watching the youth totter down
the road in front of you. You won’t want to spend the whole
evening here but it’ll get you warmed up (they do well-priced
snacks as well) before you take on the best Sopot has to
offer which is only minutes away. Q Open 09:00 - 24:00.
From June open 09:00 - 02:00. A6GBW
May - July 2012
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