8 Bars beneath the Acropolis…

© A for Athens

by Maurizio Maestrelli

It’s not a surprise anymore: Athens is definitively a cocktail world capital. People visiting what it has to be considered the cradle of democracy and European culture, have nowadays an astonishing selection of cocktail bars from which to choose. Many of them just at a walking distance in the city centre. Some are hidden in the narrow alleys of Monastiraki area, others are on the roof top of hotels where you can sip a Manhattan or a Martini looking at the Acropolis that, in the night, it’s illuminated in all its splendor. Athens has two bars in the world’s 50 best bars and three more in the “reserve list” (from 51 to 100) and even if we do not always consider this list as “the voice of truth” well, in this case, we couldn’t agree more. 

1. Baba au rum

The connection with the famous dessert from Naples (babà al rum) it’s just in the words but the love for the most prestigious sugar cane spirit is true and deep. With more than 400 labels on the shelves, obviously the cocktail list indulges on tiki mixology, get a Mai Tai made following the original Trader Vic’s recipe, a Zombie or a Guadalupe Tiki Punch, but if you’re not in the mood don’t worry all the drinks are close to perfection. The atmosphere is vibrant and the service is friendly but accurate. I admit, I have a weakness for Baba…

Klitiou 6

babaaurum.com

© Baba au Rum

2. The Clumsies

Elegant, classy The Clumsies is probably the first cocktail bar that put Athens on the maps of the European barflies. Amazing cocktails that hide a deep desire for research and a challenging spirit. At The Clumsies you will always be at a new frontier of taste because behind the magnificent, wooden, counter there’s a team that has no fear in using Greek ingredients such as Samos wine or Kariki cheese. Or mastiha, a resin that comes from a lentisk tree on the island of Chios, as in Bulla Fresca, such a refreshing drink that it’s hard to have only one.

Praxitelous 30
theclumsies.gr

© The Clumsies

3. A for Athens

When you walk, usually under the sun, in Athens you feel like the Acropolis, that still dominates the city as at the time of Pericles, is watching you. So, at night, the best practice is to contemplate this wonder of the ancient times comfortably sit at the bar of this hotel right over Monastiraki square. While you are enjoying the view you can sip a classic Negroni a more intellectual Martini or dive into their signature drinks list at the time of our visit played on the “heart vs brain” human battle. Try a Cupid if you are in good company or, if you’re on your own, a Hope.

Miaouli 2
aforathens.com

© A for Athens

4. Line

One of the youngest cocktail bars in the city has gained an immediate international success reaching position number six in the last world’s 50 best. It’s the only bar in this list where you can’t walk to cross its door but you need to take the metro, or a taxi, but indeed it’s worth the visit. Wide, cozy, a real hot spot to meet the Athenian youth, Line “believes in the method of anarchy” as it's written in their website. Stand at the counter or take a seat at one of the many tables and simply watch as the nightlife in Athens goes by. 

Agathodemonos 37
lineathens.gr

© Line

5. The Bar in Front of the Bar/Rumble in the Jungle

A street bar opened in 2021 that, as a Russian matryoshka, contains another bar. That’s the meaning of “the bar in front of a bar”. So, it’s up to you. You can have a drink on the street, but you don’t have to stand up. There are some tables anyway, or you can head towards the door that, once opened, introduces you in the “rumble in the jungle”. The name is a tribute to the boxing fight of the century, the one between Muhammad Alì and George Foreman held in Kinshasa in 1974. So, two bars, two souls: more informal the street bar, more classic the rumble. Great cocktails in both places anyway. 

Petraki 1
thebarinfrontofthebar.gr

© Maurizio Maestrelli

6. Taratsa Athens Rooftop

Another hotel, another rooftop, the same good-looking Acropolis. Taratsa is one of the newest spots for cocktails, and food we have to say, that faces the Parthenon. So, enjoy your dinner base on traditional Greek gastronomy with a touch of international influence or just choose a drink from the inspiring list that shows notable points of originality as in “Baking the apple pie” with traditional Metaxa, pineau de Charentes, apple, spices and, why not, egg yolk.

Mitropoleus 60
taratsa-athens.gr

© Taratsa Athens Rooftop

7. The 7 Jokers

Close to the Roman Agora this bar is a kind of a new entry on the crowded Athenian bar scene. Small but with an energetic atmosphere created both by the team of bartenders and the clients, the 7Jokers is surely a “one to watch” bar in the city. Skilled on the classic international cocktails they are also introducing some signature recipes that make the aficionados optimistic on the future of this bar. Also, Keith Richards, perfectly portraited on the wall behind the counter, looks optimistic. And understandably thirsty, we would say.

Voulis 7

Instagram: the7jokersbar.athens

© Maurizio Maestrelli

8. Barro Negro

Already from the name it’s easy to imagine which spirit will dominate the scene, and the drink list, of this cocktail bar. Barro Negro is a typical pottery from Oaxaca, Mexico, and at Barro Negro everybody loves agave spirits: tequila, mezcal and raicilla. Launched in 2019 the bar can be considered a “Paloma embassy” but obviously this successful drink is not the only choice. Large selection of agave spirits for the best place in town where it is possible to understand that, no, not every mezcal taste the same.

Ioannou Paparrigopoulou 15
barronegroathens.com

© Maurizio Maestrelli