The bar of Bonvivant stands for itself, as an independent concept with a clear attitude. Every drink, whether with or without alcohol, is developed with the same high standard. No special offer for non-drinkers, no wine list as a standard solution. What ends up in the glass started on Mondays in the laboratory; and only ends when it is absolutely right.
Martin Wolf - who stands behind the bar
Martin Wolf leads the bar of Bonvivant. He never followed a classic bar path. He studied history and archaeology, entered gastronomy through Berlin side jobs, and realized along the way: behind the counter is his place.
The menu carries Martin's handwriting. He develops the basic recipes, thinks through the structure of each drink, and teaches the team how and why flavors function physically and chemically. What is created in the process, however, is no one-man show. Bartender Joe and apprentice Jan have been there from the very beginning, every idea is taken seriously, jointly tested, and further developed. Whoever works behind the bar with us gets real freedom to experiment. But what is on the menu has Martin's precise fingerprint.
Ps.: In case you ask him about it during your first visit: he will also gladly give you an insight into the current status of his master's thesis in history. This is namely waiting patiently to be finished sometime between the shaker, Thermomix, and weekly production.
Brunch and Dinner - Two completely different worlds
Das Bonvivant has two bar programs, and they are fundamentally different. This is no coincidence, but the foundation of our concept.
The Brunch: Playful & Lively
The brunch drinks (Fridays to Sundays from 9 a.m.) are casual, lively, and playful. They are meant to bring joy, stand out, and bring a real wow effect to the table. A drink that is served and makes all guests look at the same time. Vibrant colors, strong herbal notes, intensive flavor profiles, or an element that surprises: the optics and the extravagance are part of the intention here. The brunch has its very own, dynamic energy and the drinks capture it perfectly.
The Dinner: Classic & Clean
The dinner (Tuesdays to Saturdays from 6 p.m.) is the exact opposite. In the evening, we operationally shift down a gear. The drinks in the evening program are kept classic and clean; pure, reduced elegance in the glass without any distraction or overloaded decoration. Here, the purity of the aromas and the texture dominate.
The drinks are served to match the respective course of the menu. Martin and his team know the flavor structure of every plate exactly. What goes into the glass is precisely tailored to it: sometimes it extends the notes of the dish, sometimes it sets a conscious, calculated contrast. Earthy vegetables, for example, receive a fine, animating acidity as a counterpoint. A floral, light course receives something that carries it elegantly further into the glass. The glass answers to the plate. Alcohol-free is the absolute standard here, the alcoholic version the optional extension.
Alcohol-free does not mean a diet or an alibi for us. It is an absolutely equivalent form of enjoyment, developed with exactly the same artisanal care and the same time.
- Martin Wolf, Bar Manager
The Wine List - Craftsmanship from the region with and without percentages
Complementing our handmade drinks, we have created a small, strictly curated wine list that reflects our attitude perfectly. Our focus lies very deliberately on regional, bio-vegan top wines; such as those from the visionary Wolkenberg winery in Brandenburg. Their pronounced minerality harmonizes fantastically with the nuances of our plant-based cuisine. Because first-class taste is not a question of percentages for us, we also carry a fine selection of outstanding alcohol-free wines. So wine remains an exciting option, but is never the default excuse of an answer to elevated fine dining.
What happens in the laboratory on Mondays
When the restaurant is closed, the real work begins for the bar. Monday is our fixed production day. Here, the counter transforms into a culinary laboratory. It is extracted, distilled, discarded, and set up anew.
An irrefutable principle states: we do not buy ready-made syrups or industrial juices. Everything we can make ourselves, we make ourselves. This requires techniques that one usually knows from a professional kitchen rather than from a classic bar:
- Thermomix extraction: herbs and fruits are blended under exact temperature control in order to optimally dissolve essential oils, without bitter substances developing through overheating.
- Sous-vide infusion: vacuumed bases or spirits are extracted for hours in a water bath, which leads to a deep, precise, and reproducible aroma extraction.
- Juice reduction: fresh juices are boiled down extremely gently at a low temperature. The natural acidity and the fruit sugar concentrate so strongly that no artificial sugar is needed anymore.
- Cold brew: coffee, cocoa, or even fine teas steep cold for 12 to 24 hours. This prevents bitter tannins and dissolves the maximum fruit and umami notes.
- Milk punch (plant-based clarification): plant protein is brought to curdle through the targeted use of acid. The subsequent filtering creates a crystal-clear liquid with a full, velvety aromatic profile; completely vegan.
- Vegan condensed milk: a high-quality milk alternative is reduced with sugar under controlled conditions until a thick, creamy, sweet mass is formed.
The homemade condensed milk deserves its own little story: when the Bonvivant became completely vegan at the beginning of 2026, the bar faced an artisanal challenge. Condensed milk is an important texture provider in many classic recipes, but hard to replace with plant-based alternatives without the inherent taste of coconut or other substitute products overpowering everything.
Our bartender Joe found a way to produce a perfect plant-based condensed milk over weeks of trial series. Through long, controlled reduction of vegan milk and sugar, a thick, sweet emulsion is created. Today, it serves us as an excellent artisanal base to give specific in-house creations on the menu fullness and viscosity, without suffocating their own flavor.
Three recipes from the Bonvivant laboratory
1. Rhubarb - Dill - Lemonade
Category: Brunch · Character: Playful & Refreshing · Alcohol: 100% alcohol-free
This recipe uses the osmotic pressure of sugar in a vacuum to extract juice and aromas from the rhubarb and fresh dill over the course of a week extremely gently and without heat. The result is a lemonade base with a depth that cannot be bought.
- The base (for approx. 10 drinks): 500 g rhubarb, 500 g sugar, 100 g fresh dill, fresh lemon juice.
- To serve: ice & sparkling water for topping up.
- Wash rhubarb and dill, chop roughly, and mix with the sugar.
- Seal in a vacuum bag; or a freezer bag from which you press out the air in a water bath.
- Place in the refrigerator for approx. 7 days and knead daily until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Afterwards, filter everything through a fine sieve and catch the clear syrup.
- Check 150 ml of this rhubarb-dill syrup with 100 ml of fresh lemon juice each and store in a cool place. To serve, add the mixture to a glass with ice according to taste and top up with sparkling water.
2. Quince & Herbs
Category: Dinner · Character: Fruity & Extravagant · Alcohol: alcohol-free
Four self-made components result in a drink that tastes highly complex and absolutely inspires visually through its color-intensive, sour herbal rim on the glass.
- Ingredients (for approx. 10 drinks): 500 ml quince-sencha juice (600 ml quince juice infused cold in the refrigerator with 15 g sencha tea for 2 days and filtered), 300 ml lemon balm-herbal cordial (blend lemon balm and mint with water in a mixer, filter, and season the liquid with sugar, citric acid, and malic acid), 140 ml toasted rice syrup (sugar syrup steeped for one hour with sushi rice toasted golden-brown in a pan, then filtered), 60 ml vetiver syrup.
- To serve: dry the moist herbal remains from the cordial cloth in the oven, then grind to the finest dust in a mixer with 100 g powdered sugar and 25 g citric acid powder.
- Mix all liquid ingredients cleanly with each other and chill.
- Spray an elegant glass (coupette) halfway with some mint water and carefully dust the moist area with the decorative herbal dust.
- Shake about 80–100 ml of the liquid vigorously with plenty of ice per cocktail and strain through a fine sieve into the prepared glass.
3. Corn & Cinnamon
Category: Dinner · Character: Velvety & Puristic · Alcohol: possible with or without alcohol
A visually completely clear, minimalist drink for the evening that uses the plant-based milk punch method. The acidity of the lemon juice causes a warm vanilla soy milk to curdle in a targeted manner. The resulting milk curd network filters out all turbid substances, rough edges, and the alcoholic sharpness.
- Ingredients (for approx. 10 drinks): 650 ml popcorn liqueur, 300 ml vanilla liqueur (e.g., Liqueur 43), 350 ml cinnamon bourbon (cook 50 g crushed, toasted cinnamon sticks in 500 ml bourbon for 2 hours at 60 °C sous vide or let stand warm for 3 days, then filter), 350 ml fresh lemon juice, 1,000 ml soy drink with vanilla flavor.
- To serve: some pismanye (Turkish cotton candy) or popcorn.
- Den Vanille-Sojadrink in einem Topf leicht erwärmen (nicht kochen).
- In einem separaten Gefäß Popcorn-Likör, Vanille-Likör, den Zimt-Bourbon und den Zitronensaft mischen.
- Nun diese saure Flüssigkeit langsam in die warme Milch gießen (niemals umgekehrt!), kurz umrühren und 30 Minuten abgedeckt stehen lassen; die Milch flockt sofort sichtbar aus.
- Ein großes Sieb mit einem Passiertuch oder Kaffeefilter auslegen und die Mischung hineingießen. Die erste Minute läuft es noch trüb durch, sobald es klar wird, das Gefäß wechseln und den trüben ersten Teil einfach noch einmal oben hineinkippen.
- Warten, bis alles kristallklar durchgelaufen ist, dann abfüllen. Zum Servieren 100 ml des klaren Punches auf Eis kalt rühren und in einem Tumbler auf frischem Eis servieren.
At the bar - Even without a table
Those who have not booked a table for our menu are nevertheless welcome at the bar at any time. Martin and his team mix classics as well as completely free house creations with and without alcohol outside of the menu context. No fixed program, no obligation. Simply come by, take a seat, and ask what exciting things are currently running in the shaker.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Are the alcohol-free drinks truly equivalent?Ja; without any restriction. Every signature drink is primarily developed as an alcohol-free product with us. The alcoholic variant is the optional extension, not the original. The exact same craftsmanship, the same time, and the same high standard flow into the creation.
How does the offering differ between brunch and dinner?The two service times pursue completely different philosophies. The drinks at brunch on the weekend are playful, very lively, and bring a visual wow effect to the table; for example, through vibrant colors or the aromatic herbal dust rim. The evening program at dinner, on the other hand, is kept classic and clean; here, optical minimalism, absolute clarity in the glass, and the perfect texture that is precisely coordinated with the courses of the menu dominate.
Is there a wine list at the bar?We have a small, strictly curated selection. The focus lies very specifically on German, bio-vegan top wines, among others from the Wolkenberg winery from Brandenburg, whose pronounced minerality harmonizes excellently with our plant-based cuisine. In addition, we carry a fine selection of high-quality alcohol-free wines. Wine is one of many exciting options for us, but not the default answer to fine dining.
Does the bar use animal products like condensed milk or cream?No. Since the Bonvivant is completely plant-based as a restaurant, the bar also works 100% vegan. Classic animal products are thrown out completely. Instead, we use purely plant-based protein clarifications; like with the clarified milk punch on a soy basis; or simply produce alternative dairy products ourselves, such as Joe's homemade, reduced oat condensed milk, for very specific sweetness and texture profiles.