First impressions of Trader Bar are of a stylish and sophisticated place. Groups of soft leather couches around the walls (to form cosy little seating areas for say 5 people) and a large crescent shaped bar smack in the middle. A vintage curtain’s strung elegantly across the ceiling. To one side of the bar is a slightly raised, sectioned off area that has more cafe-like table/chair ensembles. To the other side of the bar, tucked away in the corner is a comfy looking alcove for a larger group. On the walls, picture electronic LED displays with the financial news headlines scrolling across. Music is background, and there’s a bit of food to be had, for example bowls of chips with mayonnaise.
That’s the first impressions; the actual Trader Bar experience however, is up on quite another level. It injects a whole new level of fun and excitement into a bar, and it’s not for the faint-hearted.
It’s also for those in the know of how it works.
Above the bar is a row of TV screens. These show the price of drinks, which fluctuate as shares would in a stock exchange. Beer, wine, cocktails - all are listed (don’t ask us about soft drinks), with a neat little graph next to each showing if your drink price is on the rise or fall. Cocktails, for example, dropped around $10 from their peak to their lowest.
So many slurp slowly, watching and waiting. Should your drink drop, it’s time to get to the bar pronto, as it’s not going to stay too low too long.
It gets even more crazy - the staff purposely ‘crash’ the ‘bar market’, the background music being replaced with an enormous crashing sound and all drink prices plummet to their lowest.
At this point brace yourself for a stampede to the bar.
The crowd? Not only the suits you’d expect, but also a lot more casual drinkers. Big age range, mainly mid-late 20’s. Packed to the rafters on a Friday night, and more relaxed on Saturday nights.
Our Tip: Girls, check out the cocktail list, some exquisite flavourings, very different from the usual.
