Rum Trader

Berlin's oldest cocktail bar has been located since 1976 in an inconspicuous ground-floor apartment in Wilmersdorf, Fasanenstraße 40 - whoever finds the black door with the golden frame and rings the bell enters the self-proclaimed "Institute for Advanced Drinking". There's room for barely more than a handful of guests, and cocktails are served without a menu.

Rum Trader: Ring, enter, keep quiet

At Fasanenstraße 40 in Wilmersdorf, there’s a cocktail bar that truly doesn’t tolerate any nonsense. No neon signs, no plaque, just a black door with a golden frame and a doorbell. Behind it: the Rum Trader, Berlin’s oldest cocktail bar, founded in 1976.

No Menu, No Compromise

There’s no menu here. Instead, the staff asks about your preferred spirit and whether it should be more sweet or sour. The bar decides the rest. Rum is central, but gin creations from this cocktail kitchen are also remarkable. The room itself accommodates only 13 to 15 people, which inevitably makes a visit an intimate chamber play. The decor is reminiscent of the 1970s, the lighting is subdued, the wood is dark, and soft jazz notes drift over the conversations.

History You Can Taste

The Rum Trader was founded by the legendary Mr. Schroeder, a Dublin-born Berliner who traveled as a bartender through Paris, Madrid, and San Francisco after the war, eventually working at Trader Vic. Since 2001, various personalities have continued to run the bar, most recently Sahand Zamani and Charlotte Fedtke, who have also established a small summer terrace under awnings. So, anyone who believes that nothing has changed here for decades is mistaken. Because although the concept remains consistent, the bar thrives through its guests and the people behind the bar. Berlin cocktail culture without filters, without frills, without apologies.