#23 | Barreldier, Athens, Greece
Last Visit: Spring 2023
Following our first article on The Clumsies, there are still plenty of bars to cover in Athens, Greece. Let’s revisit one of the often overlooked, literal corners, of Athens’ bar culture, Barreldier.
A lot of vintage posters and the Jazz-Pop playlist could give the impression of a typical American Bar in the style of so many ‘speakeasy’ revivals. The easygoing owner, however, was more than happy to explain as much as possible about the aging process or the homemade Vermouths and the inclusion of Japanese pop music all lend a certain unique charm to Barreldier.
Close to specialty coffee Kaya, which we also wrote about in our coffee section, Barreldier is a true all-day bar. When I went to grab my morning coffee, they were already making preparations to open, and we went there in the afternoon, a pleasant break from having to wait until later in the evening for some bars to open.
Barreldier is occupying a little corner at the entrance of a courtyard filled with shops and cafés and is, as many bars in the city, open to the outside, with many tables on the street during summer. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2024, as the name suggest, their main focus is on classic stirred drinks, some of them barrel-aged.
Pente:
| Metaxa
| Barreldier mandarin liqueur
| Tonic syrup
| Lemon
| Sage
A perfect easy sipper to start your day or for your lunch of choice. Sure, the Metaxa could've just as easily been a lighter Cognac, but why go that route when in Athens? The grape spirit perfectly matches the light mandarin notes (this liqueur too is homemade) and together with the homemade tonic syrup adds notes of lemon, grape as well as the precisely measured amount of dryness for a great apéritif.
/rds
East India:
| Cognac
| Orange Liqueur
| Barreldier Dry Vermouth
| Maraschino Liqueur
| Grenadine
A zesty lemon nose enhanced by the orange liqueur, cognac grapes, sweet wine through the sugary maraschino and grenadine, honey and orange. A pleasant cocktail that even works in warmer weather, the casks bring out the fruity flavors and takes the edge off the alcohol. Old school, but still refined for today's taste buds.
/jf
Barrel Aged Negroni:
| Gin Blend of 3
| Bitter Apéritif
| Blend of 2 Barreldier red vermouths
You visit a bar that has the barrels in its name and half a dozen barrel aged drinks, obviously you need to try out the classic drink for this bar technique: The Negroni. By now, I like twists on the Negroni, especially with Rum or Mezcal, but I'm still not into the classic Gin ones. So take my words with a grain of salt, since I probably can't taste the perfect nuances the (fascinating) homemade blends of Gins and Vermouths contribute to this bar staple. But what I can definitely say: It was one of the best classic Gin Negronis I ever had, and that has to count for something, right?
/rds
The cask aging that takes place is done in fairly small barrels and as such can also be dependent on availability. What it mostly does for the classic cocktails is smooth them over or balance them out, rather than add a ton of complexity or truly attempt to mimic the effect of a good barrel on a Rum or a Whisky that is aged for 10 years or more, which of course is significantly longer.
Image Credit: Barreldier Facebook
The choice of spirits is solid and features the classics of Scotch, Bourbon and Gin, of course to work primarily with the homemade ingredients and the cask aging. Here and there a few rarities are available, but these depend entirely on the day and are not part of the regular cocktail menu.
We have not tried the food, but as a day bar, especially in Athens, there are full dishes available, as well as breakfast and brunch options. I was glad that there was an easy to go to space, that wasn’t crowded for cocktails. Or as was the case with Rumble in the Jungle, booked for a private event, which we were not told about, even though we had visited their ‘front desk’ at Bar In Front Of The Bar.
I, for one, are happy, that there is an alternative in the city, to the bars that focus more on wine or more on a particular type of drink (Rum for Baba Au Rum obviously, or Mezcal/Tequila for Barro Negro). For both these bars, we will publish articles, and Clumsies’ project The Line. Fans of straightforward, stirred drinks with a small added homemade charm can easily add a visit at Barreldier before dinner to see Athens from another perspective.
Cheers
/jf
