On Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th November in Athens the'Athens Bar Show, event inaugurated way back in 2010 to celebrate the art of mixing in its many facets. The event, which has quickly become a great classic on the international scene, will be accompanied, as per tradition for the last two years, byAthens Bar Week, five days of entertainment behind the bar, in the most famous cocktail bars in the Greek capital.
Athens Bar Show
“It is most likely the largest edition we have ever organized." said the creator of the event Babis Eleftheriadis Kaidalidis. “This year we will host around 100 speakers, coming from all over the world: from San Francisco to Tokyo.
In the Athens Technopolis – for the first time in the history of the event – the best professionals and cocktail bars of the Greek and international industry will gather for talks, events and tastings. Dozens of exhibitors, thousands of professionals and even more visitors are expected in Athens.
This year's edition will have four themes: Greek Spirits, News, Agave and Zero Alcohol. Each of these will be given an exhibition space, represented by producers who best embody the concept.
The Greek thematic area will undoubtedly be the most characteristic of the'Athens Bar Show. Inside, you will be able to find “local gin and vodka, but also mastiha – liqueur flavoured with Chios Mastic, a resin obtained from the mastic tree – and tsipouro, a grappa similar to the Italian one”, but produced from the pomace of Greek vines, sometimes also flavoured with anise or other fruits.
“The idea of the thematic areas comes from the desire to make the salon increasingly immersive. In the Greek area, we want people to breathe the atmosphere of our country, the same goes for the space dedicated to agave and a dear friend of mine who passed away in 2021: the great expert on the theme Tomas Estes”. Here there will be room for tequila, mezcal, street food and Mexican music.
The other two areas will instead be dedicated to new products on the market and to the topic of zero alcohol, demonstrating the importance that it is gaining more and more in the mixology sector. Here, visitors will be able to discover dealcoholized spirits, which in no way make them regret the traditional variant.
Among the seminars scheduled for the two days there will be space to delve into topics of great interest: the growing demand for tequila, the difference between bourbon and rye whiskey, the terroir of gin, Italian liqueurs, the pairing of rum and chocolate, the uniqueness of Cointreau, the first Japanese bitter, the rebirth of English gin and the future of the aperitif.
The purpose of the Athens Bar Show remains to create culture around the world of the bar: both by giving vent to new trends and by supporting the managerial development of the activities. There is also a lot of attention towards the aspect of social responsibility. It is no coincidence, therefore, that this year the Athens Bar Week inaugurates a partnership with Uber to encourage the transport of visitors in complete safety.
Athens Bar Week
For the third year in a row, the main event will be accompanied by a week of mixology, the Athens Bar Week, which will start from Sunday 3rd to Thursday 7th November. Athens will become the capital of mixology in these days, welcoming the best bartenders on the Greek and world stage in the most famous cocktail bars of the city.
Discover and stay updated on the program here
As for theAthens Bar Show, in this case too, there will be different formats proposed to the public: from guest shifts, evenings in which the "home" bartenders will mix behind their own counter together with guest colleagues, to pop-up speakeasies, up to themed parties and dinners with cocktail pairings.
Among the Greek cocktail bars will participate The bar in front of the bar (51st best cocktail bar in the world), The Clumsies (60th best cocktail bar in the world), Black Bar Athens (68th best cocktail bar in the world), Birdman Athens, Naked Athens And Happiness, while among the international cocktail bars there will be space for SIPS of Barcelona (3rd best cocktail bar in the world), Kioku by Endo Bar in London, Two Schmucks from Barcelona (7th best cocktail bar in the world in 2022) and the Italian Botanical bar in Naples.
Athens Bar Week will end on Thursday 7th November with the International Closing Party, a celebration that will kick off in the central courtyard of the Athens Technopolis, and which will feature over 30 cocktail bars, 5 themed bars Three Cents (Paloma bar, Gin & Tonic bar, Mule bar, Whiskey bar, All Stars bar), DJ sets, street food and more.
“We can undoubtedly say that Athens is one of the European capitals of mixology. The others? Milan, Rome, Barcelona, London and Paris”.
