Abyme Vodka Berlin

A backyard on Urbanstrasse in the Graefekiez

Abyme sits at Urbanstrasse 71 in Kreuzberg, in the third courtyard, left staircase, first floor. Urbanstrasse runs from Bluecherstrasse to Sonnenallee and brushes past Suedstern, the Graefekiez and Hermannplatz on the way; the nearest stations are Hermannplatz, Suedstern and Gneisenaustrasse. There is no shop at this address, because here people work rather than sell. It all began in 2014 with a deal that fell through: the founders wanted to take over a Berlin club, and the purchase collapsed shortly before completion. Rather than drop the idea altogether they stayed with the night and turned it into a spirits brand, because the market at the time was ruled by a handful of large names. Behind the firm stand Jonas Westphal and Carsten Baade, and the team describes itself as a mixture of designers, musicians, doctors, writers, DJs and party promoters. That origin explains why the brand looks more like club culture than like a liquor shelf.

Three organic spirits and a firm owned by its staff

The range at Abyme is small, and the names explain it. The vodka came out in 2015, is made from one hundred per cent organic wheat, is distilled three times and filtered five times, and Berlin water is added only shortly before bottling. In 2019 the Rhizom gin followed, dry and fruity, named after the underground root system that grows without a fixed centre. In 2023 Ambiq joined them, a bitter aperitif for spritz and negroni whose name means contradiction, such as the one between indulgence and restraint. The brand name itself comes from art, because mise en abyme describes the picture within the picture and therefore the endless reflection. All three bottles are certified organic and are produced in regional family firms. The question of ownership is the remarkable part: since 2024 the company has belonged to all its staff in equal shares, and it was the first German spirits firm to publish a common good balance sheet. A litre bottle of vodka costs 24 euros.