Interview with Legendary Berlin Bartender Thomas Pflanz 

© Hildegard Bar

Is he Berlin’s longest-serving bartender? Probably: Thomas Pflanz, a 1959 “vintage”, has been mixing cocktails for over 40 years now – first in the discos of West Berlin, then in famous bars like the “Lebensstern”, the “Lützow Bar” or the “Victoria Bar”. 2017 saw him open the “Hildegard Bar” on Marburger Straße in Charlottenburg. And in 2023, in his mid-60s, he’s still much more than just a bar owner: a host, team player and bartender. So what is it that keeps driving him forward and how does someone with so much experience view the industry? And what does Thomas Pflanz think about...?

... the drive to keep on working behind the bar 

Passion: I can only underline that over and over again. You have to have it in your blood, you have to be wedded to the night. You want to be present and be there for your regulars on a Saturday night. If it all gets too much for you and you feel you’re having to make too many sacrifices, then you can’t do it anymore. I totally understand why many people don’t want to do it anymore. I would never say they are the weirdoes. It’s more like I’m the weirdo (laughs). But to step back? That’s totally out of the question.

... the difference between being employed and self-employed

Striking a work-life balance when you’re employed is definitely easier. For years I only worked four days a week and often had Saturday to Monday off. That was very relaxed. When you go self-employed, you don’t have that. That’s why I put off taking the leap for so long. I knew what was coming: In the past, because I lived nearby, I’d often see Stefan (Weber) from the “Viktoria Bar” cycling back to his bar late in the morning and I’d think to myself: Why is he doing this? Now I feel the same way about me (laughs). Just recently, the toilets needed fixing and the craftsman could only come at 7.30 am. Who else is going to be there at that time? 

... staff turnover

It makes me sad that many people don’t want to keep working behind the bar and leave for the sales side of the industry instead. Sometimes it’s annoying: you train people, take them under your wing and then they accept an offer from company XY because it’s financially more enticing. But it’s also understandable when you’re in your mid-30s and have a steady relationship and family, that you want to quit working nights. Though many (who go into beverage sales) then realise: “Oh, I still have to be out at night to sell this or that product”. 

... the location of the “Hildegard Bar” in Charlottenburg

I’d been looking for a venue for over ten years, sometimes more intensively, sometimes less, and I looked at a lot of places. It’s ideal round here because It’s not overcrowded with bars yet. We have a lot of regulars who come here on foot or by bike. Berlin is often more like a village than you’d think! 

... ready-made drinks and “bottled cocktails”

Having drinks ready prepared makes things easier. But I think people want to see the bartenders actually mixing drinks. Nothing against the quality of prepared drinks. But it’s more tailor-made, catering to your customers’ wishes, when someone, say, likes it a bit sweeter or stronger. You can’t cater to that with ready-made cocktails. 

... the Corona lockdowns

I made good use of the time in my own way. I was here every Saturday and invited one guest as that was allowed. After all, the beer was threatening to run out and you can’t keep a Falernum forever. I got to know many regulars much better that way. 

© Hildegard Bar

... physical wear and tear

I’ve had three slipped discs and go to physiotherapy every week for my shoulder. Arthritis (raising a bent finger) is a common complaint among bartenders as you’re always using your hands and constantly switching between hot and cold. From the age of 50 it starts kicking in. For a while I could only work with a belt and painkillers. Recently I had to do two weekends full time because staff were off sick. That’s when I remembered what it’s like to whip up cocktails for 3,000 euros a night. When there’s not much going on, it’s easy to make nice drinks. The trick is to do it when there are 80 or 90 punters in front of you. Mixing drinks in a bar where things are really happening – it’s a lot of stress....

… training and further education in the bar industry

The bar industry is crying out for decent training. Three months working at the bar at the end of your training (to become a hotel or restaurant specialist) or these one-month courses? Ridiculous. Over the years, I’ve been able to pass on the knowledge I’ve acquired bit by bit to many bartenders and I think they’ve had a better “education” than, say, any apprentice in a hotel, where new techniques hardly play a role.

... his team

Fortunately, I have a team who is also very good at communication. My people manage to establish a connection with the customer in just a couple of sentences and to be a buddy who makes you feel understood. To achieve that is true hospitality. There are bartenders who are good at the bar and know a lot about technique and flavours, but their communication skills aren’t right at all ... a good drink is only ever one part of the experience.

© Hildegard Bar

... appreciation

I started doing this as a joke at some point. But I am serious about it and usually do it at the weekend: I turn the music down and go to the microphone (which is on the bar counter in the bar). Then I introduce each staff member and thank them. Finally, the person mixing the drinks at the bar is introduced: “This is who’ll be whipping up all your drinks today. Customers often even give them a round of applause. It’s a kind of appreciation I haven’t seen elsewhere. And everyone enjoys it. It must be the way we treat each other that keeps many people working here for a long time. If someone’s sick, we call them to ask if they need anything, if they want us to pop to the shops for them. People working with us quickly notice there’s a certain vibe here. There might be an old guy over there (laughs), but he likes to take on everyone’s ideas. Five of the eight drinks on the new menu come from the team.

... the new menu

The new “Hay Gimlet” (vodka infused with organic hay) tastes like it was made in a hayloft. Totally delicious, we had a lot of fun creating it. Or the “Negroni Sbagliato Ananasso”, a great variation featuring pineapple rum. We make our “Apple Chilli Daiquiri” with a light, chunky puree that’s almost like a compote. It has a strong flavour. With our “Funky Chicken” we thought long and hard about how to get the chicken into it. Nawid (Samawat, from Chicago Williams across the street) helped out. We found someone in Brandenburg who makes jerk chicken barbecue. We put the whisky in with plums and apricots – which goes great with the chicken.

... the Watermelon Man (invented by Thomas Pflanz in the 1990s, back then clubbers would drink it non-stop, and to this day it’s still on the menu in the city’s bars and clubs).

We only serve it here from June to August, during the watermelon season. We mix the watermelon liqueur with nice and sweet fresh melon. It doesn’t work any other way.

... music

This is how we get people on board. You can tell exactly what song is right for the joint right now. We play a lot of German music, French chansons, the quiet ballads of Johnny Cash or a series of calypso songs, because everyone’s drinking Caribbean drinks at the moment. I have my own compilation for each spirit, because for a while I was always picking out songs for Meryem Celik’s radio show “Barfly” on Radio Eins and saying something about them. Spirit Radio! Sometimes we also like to be provocative with our music. With a hard-hitting soprano, for instance. Or Led Zeppelin. The younger customers think it’s cool while the older ones were actually at the concert – that’s how conversations and connections develop, and you can’t really do much more than that. Music is rarely handled like this in bars. They play house music and that’s it. For us, music makes sure the place works and the team has fun.

... a successor for the business

That usually comes from within the team. At the moment I’m not thinking about it too much. I plan to run the “Hildegard Bar” until I’m 70, provided everything goes well with my health. The contract has another five years to run, so we would have to extend it anyway to make a handover worthwhile. There have already been offers from Saudi Arabia ... but no. You also want the bar to be run in your spirit and for people to do it with just as much heart and soul. To make it as unique as possible.