The Altstadt drinking scene is built around the Weinstube — the traditional wood-panelled wine bar where you can drink three or four glasses of local Riesling for the price of a single Berlin cocktail. Most cluster around the Münzplatz, the Florinsmarkt and the Jesuitenplatz.
For something else, the riverside cafes along the Rhine promenade catch the afternoon sun, and a small cluster of bars near Zentralplatz pull a younger student crowd from the university.