Gedächtniskirche Christmas Market Still Has the Best Feuerzangenbowle
Well, we made it to Tony’s favourite feuerzangenbowle stall at the Gedächtniskirche Christmas Market in Berlin. In spite of the little scare last Saturday night, the resilient stallholders were back there in full force and it was quite busy as well.
Showmanship in Feuerzangenbowle
The feuerzangenbowle tent is quite a distinctive one, with a large poster of Heinz Rühmann from the movie “Die Feuerzangenbowle” at the entrance.
Feuerzangenbowle at the Gedächtniskirche Christmas Market
The young bartender who manned the stall previously was not there. He was a real showman. He managed to get balls of fire blowing from the chimney of the tent periodically and it caught people’s attention. His mugs of feuerzangenbowle were also quite spectacularly flamed. In his place an older gentleman served the fire water at a slower pace, but still using a blow torch to light the alcohol-soaked sugar cone!
Still the best
We tried feuerzangenbowle at several German Christmas markets and the one at Berlin’s Gedächtniskirche Christmas Market is still the best. It tasted good and was pretty strong in alcohol. We enjoy the showmanship in producing the “fire water” and the tent has a nice atmosphere.
Just what is feuerzangenbowle
The first time I came across this Christmas drink, and not being a German speaker, I had problems pronouncing “feuerzangenbowle”. Now it rolls off the tongue, especially after a drink!
Tony enjoys his favourite feuerzangenbowle
If you’re not familiar with feuerzangenbowle, it is a most spectacular drink. It consists of glühwein (red wine, juice and spices), with a usually rum-soaked sugar cone flaming over it, melting slowly into the drink. As a rule this is done over a large cauldron of wine with an equally large cone of sugar, but sometimes, as in the Berlin, you get your own mug with a device to hold a small sugar cone over it. The server pours rum or whatever over the cone and lights it up – spectacular!
Tony likes to let it burn for a while, partly to get a sort of caramelised flavour, but also to see the blue flames! You have to be careful, though, or the pot mug gets so hot it can burn your mouth badly…
Within the feuerzangenbowle tent there is also a bar where other alcoholic beverages are served.
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