A perfect fusion of ancient history and timeless beauty, Greece epitomizes warm hospitality and has secured its spot on the global stage of contemporary mixology. With its close-knit community and worldclass events curated by Babis Kaidalidis and his team, Athens stands as a leading destination for fine drinking — now joined by Thessaloniki, which is stepping into the limelight.
For over 15 years, the Capital city has been a pilgrimage site for cocktail enthusiasts, largely due to the recently concluded Athens Bar Show, which welcomed 17,000 visitors from around the globe. This year’s show offered top-tier training through over 90 seminars and masterclasses — including one led by Coqtail — alongside more than 200 events spread across the city. Here two standout venues stole the scene.
Athens, the Capital of Fine Drinking
The Bar in Front of The Bar, with its dual concept, drew thousands of visitors nightly thanks to a packed schedule of guest shifts. Founded by Alexandros Tselepis, Konstantinos Theodorakopoulos, and Simeon Papanikolaou, this street bar serves up creative twists on classics using leftovers from the previous day’s prep. Behind the bar lies the speakeasy Rumble in The Jungle, inspired by the legendary Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman fight. With tropical green decor and live DJ sets, it’s a hidden gem for cocktail lovers.
Just ten minutes from downtown Athens, an old art gallery houses Line Athens, a self-described “anarchic” venue by Vasilis Kyritsis, Nikos Bakoulis, and Dimitris Dafopoulos. Line specializes in creating unique wines (cheekily named “why-in”) from fermented fruits aged in steel tanks. Its drink program celebrates seasonal ingredients, while the bar elevates traditional snacks with a tasting menu designed for sharing, with dishes served in the center of the table for all to enjoy.
Thessaloniki: The New Hotspot for Mixology in Greece
For fans of the Athens Bar Week, this year introduced a new destination: the Salonica Bar Show. From its seaside opening party at Helexpo to its sprawling exhibition across parallel corridors, it attracted thousands of visitors. International guests took part in 85 events under the banner of Salonica Bar Week, visiting cocktail bars like TriBeCa, named after New York’s artsy, loft-filled neighborhood. Here, chef Alsi Sinanaj combines his expertise in Japanese and Cantonese cuisine to craft a menu that revolves around fire and smoke. The bar’s cocktails pay homage to New York’s artistic icons, with drinks like Steve & Ian — a nod to Studio 54’s founders — featuring a blend of rum, sherry, mango, and coconut milk.
Wander through Thessaloniki’s city center, and you’ll find Hive2o, a bar that champions local ingredients sourced within an 8-kilometer radius. The contemporary space welcomes guests with a large bar on the ground floor, while upstairs tables offer a more intimate setting. The same ownership is behind Gorilla, a hotspot for great drinks and music, where guests can dance into the night with live DJ sets and cocktails crafted in a hidden lab behind a bookshelf.
Finally, in Thessaloniki’s downtown area, Purovōku welcomes hundreds of cocktail lovers every evening with drinks crafted in its on-site lab, using some ingredients grown on its rooftop terrace. The name, inspired by the Japanese transliteration of “provoke,” is a tribute to the 1960s Provoke photography movement, embodying rebellion and artistic daring. This ethos is reflected in the thought-provoking cocktails designed to spark emotions and ideas, echoing the spirit of Greece itself — a true cradle of hospitality that continues to inspire mixology lovers year after year.
This article first appeared on Coqtail – for fine drinkers magazine. Order your copy here
