Looking for a quiet atmosphere and quality cocktails? Step into Pusser’s New York Bar in Munich’s city center, just behind Maximilianstrasse. This classic bar is the perfect spot to have a drink before heading to the opera or dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. Or plan to spend the evening here and try the delicious Caribbean dish Chicken Roti prepared with curry and served with homemade mango chutney. Other tasty and affordable choices (appetizers from € 3.80) are chilli con carne; club, roast beef or pastrami sandwiches; or a wonderful plate of carpaccio (€ 13). But the fare is not the only draw. International cocktails are presented with a professional touch and, if you’ve got a certain craving, the staff are glad to mix up a special concoction. For those who may wonder, the bar’s name derives from the famous Pusser’s Rum, the original Navy rum. This all-natural, free-from-additives, double gold medal-winning rum is the main ingredient of the famous Pusser’s Painkiller cocktail. With pineapple and orange juice, cream of coconut and nutmeg, this tropical refresher was first served at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands, where guests must anchor offshore and wade on to the beach and up to the bar—hence the reference to soaked cash in the bar’s name. This American-owned and operated bar was opened in 1974 by Bill Deck, with the goal of presenting and preserving the culture of the classic American bar in Germany. Its location, hidden on a quiet side street off the upscale strip, adds to Pusser’s charm. So, too, does its interior—set behind stained-glass windows in dark wood and brass, a boat hangs from the ceiling, and the nautical theme is rounded off with naval flags, old advertisements and historical photos adorning the walls. As one of the last remaining piano bars in Munich, with live music four nights a week in the room downstairs, it is a popular nook to hold parties. Pusser’s draws connoisseurs, celebrities and everyone in between “from 18 to 80 with no exceptions,” as Deck puts it. That, and its professional team of English-speaking bartenders, captained by Deck’s son, David, make this a great meeting place.
