The Sharlafied Love Train Diaries 2024

Illustration by Mattia Coppa @calcabrina

It’s March, and that means a l o n g train trip. This time almost 3,000 kilometers through northeastern Europe.

Here is how it all started: I met Simon Kistenfeger, global brand ambassador for Altos Tequila, at BCB in Berlin, and bumped into him again at the Athens Bar Show. After a night of fun in Athens with people from all over the world, I knew I was going to see Simon again. He invited me to his town, Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany for a benefit to raise money for women in Afghanistan. One of Simon’s bars is called Mucho Amor, and he has people from all over the world working for him; some are refugees. He spreads a lot of love.

Getting to Rothenburg is tricky, involving a few trains, so I thought, why not do a tour all by train… and continue throughout northern Europe… And why not write a diary about it based on love. So the Sharlafied Love Train was born. Mattia made me this cool poster (above) that has become the symbol of the trip.

This is the third year and the trip is ambitious: the stops are Bratislava, Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk, Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn, all by train, I will be exploring five countries I have never set foot on, visiting bars, hotels, meeting people and spreading the love. What are the local spirits of each country? How friendly are the people? What surprises are in store? I have a few surprises of my own….

First stop Saturday March 9, Bratislava.

Patrik showing me the ingredient to my Bogroni

Since I arrived in the evening, and a Saturday by the way, I had to head straight out to the bars. My first stop was Michalska Cocktail Room where I had a boomerang cocktail from Al Querto in Bassano to present to the bartender. This was not the easiest bar to find, actualy it was hidden inside Urban Bistro up the stairs. Patrik welcomed me warmly and was immediately Sharlafied with the cocktail I presented him. I started out with a Bogroni, a Negtoni style drink made from a local spirit Borovicka made entirely from Slovakian juniper (45% abv). This bar has a cool speakeasy vibe with velvet sofas, vintage pictures on the walls and snuggling couples on date night.

Samantha gets Nardini and Eugen is the photobomber!

The next stop was to Antique American Bar, I was very eager to visit this bar but I realized just how small it is. With no reservations on a Saturday night, it was a close call but I was able to use by Sharlafied cred to snag a corner table. When I got in I met Samantha, the bar manager, who reminded me that we had met in Naples at the Nikka Perfectionist finals last year. We had a lovely chat and I presented her with a bottle of Nardini grappa as a memento of my adopted home town. When I opened the menu I found a Sidecar and ordered one immediately. I wasn’t disappointed, it was executed perfectly! The vibe is relaxed yet professional. I asked Samantha how she liked working in such a small bar. “I like it, because we get to interact with our guests and take good care of them.” Samatha spoke about her days working in London and how much she has grown. She enters numerous cocktail competitions every year and you will see her name popping up often! The bar food was fun, especially the extra long and skinny wieners— they were delicious!

Fun fact: Eric Lorincz is co owner of this bar, and it shows. It really is a gem. I started thinking, some of the world’s best bartenders came from this small country of Slovakia. I asked Eric a few questions:

You have been away from Slovakia for many years. What skill set did you bring from Slovakia that helps you in bar industry? 

I would say it’s the dedication to what I really enjoy doing.. With that, comes the hard work, and I don’t count the hours spent at work.

Why do you think Slovakia produced such go-getters like you, Martin Hudak and Marian Beke? What is your secret sauce?

I know them as very hard working individuals, and both represent the dedication for hard work. They do the job without any shortcuts. I think that’s our foundation— to make things right and not seeing only the obstacles, which comes with anything.

What advice would you give to a Slovakian bartender who wants to grow in the business?

After having worked in the bar industry for over 23 years, I would say— show your passion. For me, every day is a new chance to improve and prepare for new challenges. There is no bar where everything is perfect. My attitude is to be satisfied with what I have and what I’m surrounded by. Not trying to look for problems and complaining about them. When I’m at work I am always looking around to see what I can make better today. Basically, it’s the never-ending search for satisfaction that drives me to improve things every day.

Mirror Sbagliato. Very bubbly and delicious!.

My third stop of the night was to Mirror Bar with a dark, hotel bar atmosphere and well executed cocktails. The staff is young and it there was fun and breezy conversation from the bar stools. My Mirror Sbagliato was as delicious as it was beautiful.

When I got to Sky Bar at 5 minutes to midnight it was already closed, so nothing to report there. The bar is closed Sunday and Monday, so someone missed their chance.

Sunday March 10. A full day to explore! I found the town strangely deserted. It is low season but it’s a Sunday and I expected the town to be full of locals like it is in Italy. After noon, there were a few groups of tourists with guides milling around. The city is very clean and full of monuments and stately buildings.

My Slovakian tasting lunch.

I had a sampler lunch at Meanto with three of the most characteristic Slovakian foods: Sheep cheese dumplings, sheep cheese pockets (like ravioli) and sour cabbage dumplings with bacon and sour cream. I gave Sasha one of the love phrases that she is proudly showing here.

Next, some sightseeing. I walked up to the top of Michael’s Tower where a statue of St. Michael slaying the dragon was completely reimagined. Each level of the tower had an interactive screen showing how the restoration work was executed. The view of the main street from the top was stunning.

The tasting room before the lights went out.

I had booked a wine tasting at Tmava Degustacia, but this one was a bit different: It is in total darkness! We were taken to a cellar and seated at a table with one glass. Then the lights were turned off and the door was shut. Complete darkness. We were led by Michael, our guide and an audio presentation that explained four different wines. At the correct time we were instructed when to sniff and when to taste, and we were encouraged to guess what wine we were tasting. I thoought I knew my wine, but it’s not easy to tell if a wine is even red or white when you can’t see. As time went by , our senses were heightedned, as we tasted a white, a rose’ an organge wine and a red wine. There was even a bonus wine… not even made from grapes but from rose hips! Lovely and sweet, almost a liqueur.

Toast to the Danube.

Next stop was to the UFO tower, the icon of the town, to the very windy rooftop: in a few months they will be offering a skywalk, where you are tethered to a cable and you can walk around the edge of the building, hanging over the side for selfies. In a way I’m glad it’s not open yet because I would feel compelled to do it. Would you have the courage? In the UFO bar I ordered a mini Negroni in the cutest little coupette. The view of the Danube was incredible.

Fancy, huh?

Just one more thing to do before I leave Slovakia tomorrow: taste a palinka, a distilled spirit similar to grappa but with different flavors, like plum- slivovitz, but also blueberry, cherry, etc. I had a blueberry one which was appararently one of the more rare ones. The brand was Constatin by Saber. After getting a quick bite and taking some pictures, it was time to head “home”, I have a train to Krakow tomorrow.

Monday, March 11, my train leaves in the late morning so there is still time to have a special breakfast, at Konditorei Kormuth. It is a historical place, reopened 8 years ago, and i’s one of a kind. They serve cakes coffees and teas in antique cops and plates, with gold silverware, Perfect for a photo op, but be careful, no wandering around taking pictures, they don’t want their guests disturbed.

The train to Krakow was clean and comfortable, and I was astounded by the modern train station that was like a shopping mall; in fact it was connected to a huge mall that I cut through to get to my apartment for two nights.  My first stop was to the House of Beer for a refreshing brew. 

I chatted with the staff and handed out some of my love notes and stickers.  Next it was on to the first cocktail bar in Poland, Puzka Pandory cocktail bar where Kuba prepared a nice French 75 for me.

It was a small place and we had a friendly chat with another bartender ( another Kuba!) who was visiting. My next stop was to sister bar Rumour, a rum bar run by Marcin and Sebastian, both under 30!

After that, it was on to Hedwigs club, an elegant place in the Stadom House hotel  hotel where I presented Grezgorz him with a boomerang cocktail from Michalska. He made me a vodka based signature cocktail with vodka. Thanks, Gregorz!

Last stop was to William Rabbit and Co where you have to hunt for a rabbit footprint and ring a bell before someone comes out and escorts you downstairs. There I met Bartek who chatted with me and I met another off duty bartender named Vicky who works at another bar I will visit tomorrow. Like everywhere, many bars are closed on Mondays.

Tuesday March 12 Time to explore Krakow, a beautiful city with a lovely old town. Here I had a good old bowl of chicken soup with home made noodles.   Warming and good!

I stopped in at the the Vodka Cafe Bar and Emanuel explained many Polish vodkas to me (and I tasted a couple, too.  Polish vodka is not only made from potatoes, some use wheat. I stopped by a store with vintage stuff and gave the young couple some love notes.  They sold me a little book about “weird people of Poland”.  Next  I decided to have an early first course at a local restaurant because I really wanted to try a Golabki, something my Polish grandmother used to make.  They gave me two gigantic ones and I had to take a doggy bag for the other one. It was delicious!  Next, for part two of my dinner, I had a half portion of perogis at Starka Restaurant. They were dainty and beautiful, as well as tasty! 

Radek with his love message at Trust Bar

The Trust Bar was next, and I trusted Radek to make me a Bylas Serca Biciem.  The drinks list is actually a music playlist and the names of the drinks are also song titles, everything from Pat Boone to Chaka Khan. Mine was the only Polish artist and it was a very nice sip. Radek was just promoted from back bar and he was very professional.  His colleagues were all in Warsaw doing a guest shift at a bar that I would visit soon.

Gin Mill was next, a tiny bar that luckily had a seat for me.  Here I had a super Hanky Panky made by Kamil. On to Sababa, an asian inspired place where I cought up with Vicky who was just leaving.  The guys at the bar mede me a Yavesh with Ketel One, Suze, Lilet Blanc, sesame oil and honey. Mmmm!

Arek and Artur at Tag Bar receive the boomerang.

Now, my last stop was Tag Bar, the place everyone told me to go to. It’s all graffitti themed and all the bottles they use are hung from hooks on the ceiling and they use a special tool to get them down, Cool! Samantha from Antique American Bar specifically told me to send her boomerang drink here (Southside) . Arek and Artur were excellent hosts  and they showed me the extra room they open up on weekends for private parties.They are also known for their original menus, and they gave me one to take home. I had a Parsley cocktail, made with vodka , parsley  honey halva and mint, a sweet ending to the night. The one bar I missed because it was closed was Mercy Brown, which features jazz and burlesque. Shucks!

Wednesday March 13. On to Warsaw, the next stop on the Sharlafied Love Train. After checking into my super cute place called Sleepwell Apartments-  My first stop was to a place called Zaremba, an ex tailor shop not yet 2 years old that had a marble bar and a real Italian feel to it.  I had a martini and met Matheuz and Kacper and enjoyed watchiing them shake their stuff. I met the owner, Zaremba himself- and said I would stop by to ask him a few questions the next day. My next stop was to Aura, a tiny little place that had a very high back bar with a ladder to get to the bottles.David and Henryk were my hosts—this bar has a huge bourbon collection so a  Manhattan was my go-to.

Kita Koguta and the bubbly non-alcoholic cocktail— love his colleague running to get out of the pic!

Woda Ognista gives me a boomerang

Kita Koguta  as next,  a tiki style bar were Vadim served me a no-alc Admiral Martini Floreal full of bubbles, and a bonus battleship game to play.-    One cool thing: at closing time, they give everyone a bowl of soup. I was getting hungry so it was time to go to Woda Ognista for their famous tartare. 

It didn’t disappoint, coming out under a smoky dome. This bar has a movie theme and my pairing drink was The Girls of Nowolipki, a riff on a Negroni, perfect! Here they made me a drink to send to El Koktel here in Warsaw. So I trotted the drink over for my last stop and Panda and the crew were a lot of fun. They made me two cocktails to take to Gyozilla and Mala Sztuka bars in Gdansk!

Thursday, March 14.  I did a tour of the city, enjoying a nice bowl of chicken soup in the old town, then it was time to interview Zaremba in his tailor shop. (details in a future post) The first bar I visited was Ava Pegaz, the theme is poetry and there are poetic verses on the walls, a huge collection of corkscrews and flowers “growing” from the ceiling. Here Damian Robert and Kamila welcomed me warmly and gave mea spot at the private bar behind the serving area , like a chef’s table. Kamila was super charming and gave me a packaged cocktail and a Negroni to take to Gatsby in Gdansk, as well as an amazing Pegasus pin.

Next came Donkey Shoe, a Mexican inspired bar.  They don’t have food so I cut out to eat something nearby (a huge food hall) and they kept my drink chilled.  Kacpar was the perfect host and Paula ,made my margarita to perfection. When I asked if they had a pin for my hat, Kacpar gave me his own, a horseshoe.  So sweet!

Jeremi from Roots

Next stop was Roots with Jeremi Nikodem  and Kristoff who served me well and gave me a Roots coin. They put Sharlafied stickers on their computers! Of course,I gave them their love messages, too. Goodbye Warsaw!

Friday March 15  After a wonderful home cooked breakfast at Sleepwell, it was on to the train. My hotel was PURO, fancier than the others because my daughter and her boo were meeting me here the folllowing day. My first bar was Tlen, which means Oxygen. There Ana Lucacz and Michael were my dream team. The drinks menu is based on different regions of Poland and they served me a Wyspa Wolin based on an island in NE Poland. Rum- Sea buckthorn-Oak-Dry Vermouth. Nice and sour! 

The Gatsby team

Next up, Gatsby where Michael, Michael, Bertocz and Kamil received the boomerang drink from Kamila at Ava Pegaz and we drank it all together.  They in turn gave me two bottles: one for me and their famous truffle negroni for a bar in Vilnius.

I stopped by Winston Bar too with Kacpar, Adam, Natalia and Marcelina where I  had a nostalgic cocktail made to remember a visit to granny’s house.

My night ended with a nice glass of water at a Karaoke bar filled with Scots on a stag night!

Saturday, March 16 , My daughter and her boo are here! They arrive bright and early, just in time for a big breakfast. We went on a short tour of the town, which was 90% destroyed during WWII. The buildings have been lovingly restored, but updated inside with all mod-cons.

The streets of Gdansk

Gdansk was by far the most beautiful city I saw in Poland, This place has become a hot spot for hen and stag nights which can change the elegant vibe somewhat. We are all big history buffs and it was sad there was so little from the old Gdansk to see. Still kudos to the excellent recreation efforts.

Time for our visit to a vodka producer showroom Podole Wielkie., Lucacz was an amazing host and guide.  He took us through all the various vodkas, from potato to wheat, to a rye  and even a vodka derived from Pale Ale. These craft spirits ar a far cry from the neutral vodkas in the market. A truly fascinating visit and highlight of Gdansk.And thanks for the samples and little rye bread sandwiches, Here’s a bottle of Nardini grappa for you !

Lucasz sniffing his vodka

Our last stop of the night was to Gyozilla where Steve Zachariasz  got his boomerang cocktail from El Koktel . We went for just a before dinner drink, and my bloody mary had a whole langostine on it. Marina’s had a little zen garden with a rake -- but the food looked so delicious…. We had a full meal, sharing everything.  It was phenomenal!

Next we hit Mala Sztuka  where we delivered the second cocktail from El Koktel. This place was tiki syle and they had a unique gimmick:  If you happen to finish a bottle, yuo get to put a sticker on it and write a message. These bottles with messages are left on a shel for all to see.  Of course we finished a rum so we were able to make our mark on Gdansk forever.

Sunday, March 17  St. Patrick’s day but nothing special really going on.  We had a walk around town and a visit to the museum of Gdansk until lunchtime when we visited a brewery Piwnica Rajcow. They served us a taster series in 5 little beer mugs. We had a nice dish of pierogis with different fillings and toppings. Then we went to Winston again and Marina had the granny cocktail with a little cookie. After a coffee break and a walk artound the town, filled with  amber shops and restaurats, not much else, we went to a Georgian restaurant for dinner. The hearty meat based dishes were very good.

Our last bar was Flisak 76, the oldest cocktail bar in Gdansk (from 1976) where all cocktails had a fairytale theme.  Mine, Little Red Riding Hood, came in a mason jar inside a woven basket that lost its way to grandma’s house. Good night Gdansk!

Good night Gdansk!

Monday March 18. Vilnius Lithuania This was going to be a brutal day.  I had originally planned to take an overnight bus  to Vilnius but the bus station was dodgy and confusing, so I took a nice clean train to Warsaw and connected to Flixbus to Vilnius.  Unfortunately there will be no more trains as this part of europe is relying on buses for now. The trains are very few and far between. Instagram posting and writing. I go into Vilnius at 10 pm (or so I thought) , wow an hour early!  I headed straight for Apoteka before closing time just to have not wasted the whole day traveling. Kyrill almost didn’t let me in but I showed my sharlafied cred and got a seat at the bar. We chatted for awhile and I headed back to my modest hotel just 5 minutes away.

Tuesday, March 19 I headed to the center of town to check out the sights , it was so clean and orderly, with not many people around at all.  There were some charming side streets and I noted a nice bar I would visit later. I went to a Whisky store and bar but the bar was closed today and the man at the counter was nice enough but they just had whiskey. I was looking for the local spirit of Lithuania.

With Audrius at Grapperia

Now I headed out to the outskirts where the Grapperia was.  This shop sells a lot of Italian spirits and I knew them from my Nardini days when they came to visit us. Audrius remembered the visit and even had a photo album with our pictures in it.  He loves LP records and played a few in his shop. I gave him a little bottle of Nardini grappa as a souvenir, but he had no Lithuanian samplers in the store.  I did sample a spirit made from beer and it was pretty good. I spoke to Paulius the partners wife Akvile on the phone, who I had also met in Bassano. Back to the center of town and on to see some bars.

Matas in silhouette at the bar

My first stop was to Distilleria which had just opened (or I thought) . It was then I found out that the time in Lithuania is one hour ahead of Poland.  It took me a whole day to figure it out!  Tomas made me a pink Americano and we started talking about bar pins.  We made a trade, so I scored another new pin! Modestas his colleague was going to try for World Class this year. Tomas kept talking about the bar next door so I stopped by. Compliments is the name and it’s quite fancy!

Turns out its under the same ownership as Distilleria. Matas was super chill and I had a nice conversation with Ugne who works at another bar.

I went to Alchemikas next,  this bar was highly recommended and it didn’t disappoint. Amazingly I “guessed” the names of Patricia Jugas and Vaiva, who were gobsmacked.  I’m not saying any more about that. I gave the crew a vodka from Gyozilla as the bottle was too big for me to take on the plane home. But I did get to taste it!

My next stop was to Nick and Nora where I was finally able to taste a sip of 999 - Ew. Medicine! Their cocktail was much better!

Stickers galore!

Thanks Titas and Marcus. I also went to Nomads, where Greta and Agniete served me in style. Wandering around, I found YDA totally by accident, no signage at all, this is a very alternative space. I chatted with Emilia and Ziggy with their doggie and bartender Ursula was super. After, a quick stop at Who hit John, a dive bar if I ever saw one, I headed back to Apoteka where Edwin made me a Japanese Negroni to take to Riga. I missed Hanza, but there will be a next time. On to the next city tomorrow: Riga. 

Wednesday, Mar 20 Riga, Latvia After a worry- free bus ride I made my way to the fantastic Konventa Seta Hotel right in the center of town.  Just steps away was Black Magic, home of Latvia’s national spirit of the same name. The ladies dressed in 18th century garb offered me a sweet version but I insisted on the original, black as tar, and worse tasting, I’m afraid. We have to remember that these spirits were used for medicinal purposes so they aren’t meant to taste good. I had a nice meal of potato pancakes at Old Traditions restaurant, a Russian establishment: the opening offer was a shot of vodka. I also discovered Kvass here, a kind of beer/cider, which I loved and found out was found out was low or non alcoholic. Now to bed.

With a random visitor trying on hats

Thursday, Mar 21. Hello Spring, Brrrr! Time to explore the town. I headed out across the river to explore the Art Nouveau street lined with interesting buildings. Then it was off to the hat museum, with a huge collection of hats displayed in this apartment in own. The fun part was the basket full of hats you could try on. I was sad not to see a gondolier’s hat so I will see what I can do about that..

Labietis for beer tasting

Then I headed to Miera Street, quite a bit out of the center that had a number of little boutiques.  I bought a stork pin at M50 design shop as a symbol of Latvia, handed out some love notes and I was told I need to visit  a graffitti filled space with places to eat and listen to music.  It really gets going in the evening , so at lunchtime it was pretty deserted, but I got the vibe and had some goulash.  Next, I found a brewery where the nice people at Labietis explained their beers which had all been produced in this location until recently. Robert, Guntars, Paula and Ilsa were so nice, and  I did get to see some hops fermenting for an experimental brew, and the rye chips were so good with my beer!

Almost next door I found OBDO, a gin producer, and Jurgis had a nice chat with me and offered a tasting. I left a bottle of Nardini Grappa for him to pick up at my hotel and taste, and hope to see him at the Bar show in Lisbon!

Time to hit the bars, starting with Bar Six where saw bartender Eric and Agata, brand ambassador for Koskenkorve Vodka (Finland)  I gave the crew a bottle from Apoteka  and got a drink to take to Talinn. I chatted with Jeremy and fellow bar nerd Yash from Chicago at the next barstools.  Next stop, Gimlet where the theme is locally grown:their cocktails take inspiration from the local herbs found here.

Now, over to Daiquiri, where rum is the boss. Gustavs and boo Katrina were here to serve me a baby daiquiri. Perfect size for this busy night.  Then I popped over to At your Moms bar where Gleb showed me his concept:  1980’s decor, complete with a tv screen of vintage viseo games, old furniture and a bowl of candies on the bar. I had a Goodnight Kiss cocktail as my last drink in Riga.

Freud’s cool menu

 Friday March 22- Time to take the bus to Tallinn, my fifth new country visited, 8th city and last stop on the Sharlafied love train. My hotel was right in the car-free old town, close to everything. I had a wonderful meal of schnitzel at Rado. My first stop was to Sigmund Freud bar where I delivered a cocktail from bar Six in Riga. The cocktail list was very cool, divided into humors: Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholich, Phlegmatic… and shots. I had Van Gogh’s ear with Mezcal and Vermouth, not too melancholic for me at all. Jeugeni and Ksenia were on hand and I had a nice chat and tasted some local spirits with  Jeugenia. Freud has been open for 8 years now and is known for its creativity in menus and cocktails.

Saturday, March 23 The next day I headed out to Telliskivi Creative City, the hipster part of town. There I found a whole complex of eating places and artisan’s shops. I visited the photography museum on multiple floors and a modern/industrial space with a cool coffee bar inside.  I had a nice lunch in a cafe then stopped in to Juniperium to talk to Priit Poldrae, a local gin producer. I was ready with my bottle of Nardini grappa to exchange and got a  nice education on their line of gins.

Danil prepares a Shiitake Vesper at Babylon

Ending with Ben and a couple cigars

Next: Whisper Sister, the place hiding in plain sight. There is just a plaque on the door and you have to phone up and they will come down and take you in. There Jiri and Kristina took good care of me, and I met Ben, a talented illustrator from St. Louis. He ordered a most unusual cocktail that looks like a Creamsicle.  Here I broke my one cocktail rule, everything was so good! Ben gave me some good tips for sightseeing, too.

Priit gives me a tour and we exchange samples- gin for grappa!

Back into the center and a stop for a little bite to eat at Draakon, a funny dungeon type place, where the innkeeper is dressed like in medieval times and purposely treats everyone very brusquely.  I ordered sausages which she gve me on a stick, while she pointed to a big barrel where I could spear as many pickles as I wanted. It was a trick to stab them just right, buti t was kind of fun, too. I popped in the more famous (and expensive) place called Olde Hansa, where there was strictly candlelight, minstrel singers and medieval food.  After my little meal I headed over to Babylon Bar, with Danil, Diana and Liisi. Up through the bookcase and into the secret chamber, Ben had this drink that looked like a creamsicle.You can even lick it, but don’t try to bite it!   I had a food pairing-an Old Pal with prosciutto on top made by Danil who is preparing for World Class.

Twilight in Tallinn

To top off the night we heard there was a cigar bar next door but someone whispered that there was a private club not far away, so we went and rang the bell. We chose our cigars of choice and ordered drinks. I distributed some love notes to the next table and it turns out that Mahesh, a huge cigar aficionado is the best friend of a couple I met this summer at Emvasis cafe cocktail bar in faraway Monemvasias Greece! A perfect way to end my tour.  My travels by land have ended and I would fly to Stockholm the next day to meet my daughter for a night, then fly home.  I DID IT!

Making my mark