"Velvet's interior looks like its name: low-lit, low-slung, and smooth. The bar is home to a half-dozen or so chairs, perfect for solo drinkers, while there are several booths ringing the periphery to curl into with friends or lovers. Dark walls and upholstery keep the mood intimate and focused on drinks and conversation, and the restrained amount of tables guarantees that while nights can get buzzing, the mood will never be overly raucous. Truly crafted and creative cocktails are the name of the game here, with a menu that changes weekly and that is based on seasonal plants around Berlin (previous menus have included foraged ingredients.) Velvet is a place to ""sip the local season,"" as the menu declares says, and all the seasonal syrups, liquors, distillates and extractions they use are housemade." - Krystin Arneson