An Athens Cocktail Odyssey

The cocktail list features simple yet well-made drinks capable of pleasing all kinds of drinkers. I suggest you try one of their long refreshing drinks to fight off the summer heat. One more thing for this bar is that the food is exceptionally good as well. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, enjoy their menu, sip on a glass of wine and just take a deep breath; if you do, you’ll thank me later. A reservation here is very much needed since it’s the most well-known bar of Athens all year round.

Let’s move to one of the bars that has been defining the Athenian bar scene for many ages. Baba Au Rum, being the very first fine drinking bar in our city (and probably in our country), has made its way to the World’s 50 Best Bars, placing 30th. The bar has a 50’s vibe which is everywhere to be found; from the bar stools to the wallpapers.

As you probably have guessed by now, they specialize in rum and have the biggest selection of it in Europe, but that doesn’t mean that their general spirit selection is short. Try both rum and Rhum Agricole neat, accompanied by chocolate and let the flavours soothe your mouth. Their cocktail list is long and full of refreshing long drinks, tiki cocktails and highballs with various spirits. If you visit, please ask for a daiquiri and drink the classic in its most correct form. I would suggest a reservation here if you plan to visit over the weekend.

Are we ready to walk a bit more? Our next stop is one of the upcoming bar names in the Athenian scene. Bartesera is an exotic hidden place and a breath of joy in the busy city of Athens. Walking into the bar, you see plants strategically placed here and there. Look up and you will see so many fairy lights that you will feel like thousands of fireflies welcome you for a cocktail. Sit in either of the two bars and talk to the bartenders. If you are lucky, your bartender will be Alexandros, this year’s Greek finalist for Beefeater MixLdn; either way, talk to them, they’ll make you feel like you have been a regular in their bar for ages.

The cocktail list has the correct amount of drinks which are complex and amazingly well balanced. Drinking them, you can see the work that was put into the recipes. Infusions, rims and spirit combinations are there to impress you and make your taste buds go wild. It has a unique spirit list with bottles that few other bars have. Try some of the classics as well and you’ll see how much of a difference it makes when the base spirits are of good quality. Last, but certainly not least, I highly recommend that you try their Bloody Mary, because it’s probably the best one you ever had. No reservation is needed here, but every bar is busy on Fridays and weekends. On the other days, you’ll be more than fine.

Not very far from our last stop lays the second good quality/ fine drinking bar that ever opened in Athens. Its name? The Gin Joint. Yes, the name is taken from the all-time classic quote from Casablanca and the whole feel is inspired by the 20’s. Τhe decoration is very simple since their selection of bottles does not need fancy décor. As the name implies, and as I just gave away, their selection of gin is vast with more than 180 labels of gin.

A small, cozy bar; perfect to start your night or to close it. Their cocktail selection is also really impressive; gin is the star of course, but other spirits play an important part as well. My suggestion is to specifically ask for a long forgotten classic cocktail with gin or to try one of their variations of classic cocktails with gin as the base spirit. If you go for a classic, ask for the history of it, after all, bartenders are the best storytellers. Again here no reservation is needed; small bar, but it can fit everybody, trust me in that.

Okay, to finish our bar trip, I’m going to throw in a bar that is not in the centre of Athens, but is located very close to Piraeus port. So if you are visiting an island and the port is your destination, find a couple of hours to make a stop at the CHE Cocina y Barra Sudamericana. As you might have figured out, the bar is heavily influenced by the Latin American culture. From your very first step into the bar, you feel like you’ve traveled miles away to another country. The décor and the music will help you escape reality and teleport you to Mexico city for a night. This bar is a true
example of the versatility that bars and restaurants have in Greece.

The cocktail list is long enough to please even the pickiest drinkers with infused spirits, trendy ingredients and re-imagined classics. If cocktails are not your thing, they also have a huge variety of wines, and from spirits, their selection of tequila and mezcal is exactly what you need. Something impressive in this bar is that they also have a good food menu. Latin American flavours, spicy ingredients and dishes that show these influences blend perfectly with the cocktail menu. My personal suggestion is a Paloma. Why? Because they make it with a touch of mezcal and that really makes a huge difference. They don’t take reservations for the bar, but if you plan to taste their culinary creations, a reservation is very, very important.

Στην υγειά σας (Stin ygeiá sas!)

Εβίβα! (Cheers)