#37 | Barro Negro, Athens, Greece
Last Visit: May 2023
Athens is calling us again. Maybe it is the hot and humid summer weather at the time of writing or the fact, that it has been a little more than a year since the LT team has made the trip to Greece, but it is time to finally get to a surprise highlight, that quickly earned its place not just on our favorites list for Athens, but maybe even globally.
It might not be the most obvious connection to think of South America when visiting the Greek capital and for some Barro Negro might be eclipsed by the other big names, such as Clumsies or Baba Au Rum, but authenticity and loads of flavors left a lasting impression.
As with so many of Athens bars, Clumsies as well as Barreldier, there is an openness to the design at Barro Negro, with large windows and an outside area to sit at as well. Immediately visible in the clean, modern designed space are the towering shelves of spirits, that one would expect in an Asian hotel bar maybe, but not in a bar specializing in Agave spirits. And unlike many bars with large collections, where sometimes rows are ‘supplemented’ with Campari bottles for example, here all the spirits, up to the ceiling, are worth trying and are known to the staff.
In case it wasn’t obvious before, the strength of Barro Negro are Tequilas and Mezcals primarily, with the name referring to a unique style of pottery that is connected to Mezcal and other drinks throughout millennia. These cups and vessels were used for ancient rituals and are now a protected cultural piece of Mexican heritage.
The service is personal, absolutely welcoming, but also knowledgeable, to the point that I thought one of the owners themselves was behind the bar, even though it was "just a bartender". Unfortunately it can happen, especially with a spirit focused place, that the owner itself is incredibly passionate about a spirit, has a huge collection themselves, but is then unable to channel that through the team. Barro Negro is the proof that you can have a team 100 % behind a concept.
If you look into who is behind Barro Negro, which opened in 2019, the argument can be made, that some foremost Tequila experts have put their entire knowledge into this bar. Frequent trips to Mexico and the region are an essential part of being a part of the project.
They also travel the rest of Europe to promote high quality Tequila and Mezcal, and as such I had the pleasure to also see Stelios Papadopoulos during one of the guest shifts at TAG in Kraków, Poland.
Cristalino Old Fashioned
| Volcan Cristalino Tequila
| Peanut Butter
| Carob
| Sarsaparilla
| Aromatic Bitters
Two words: Super clean. At the same time, it had that wanted complexity and a silky smooth body. Full of peanut flavors with that fat wash, from the more dry shell to the earthy, thick core of the buttery nut. The added carob and sarsaparilla gave it slightly herbal and woody notes in the finish, while it still remained super nutty even after 30 seconds. In the middle your taste buds got hugged by complex tequila, herbal and grainy notes, agave, wax, honey. A perfect, complex and modern Old Fashioned composition.
Barro's Last Word
| Bruxo X Mezcal
| Herbal Liqueur
| Maraschino
| Campari Vinegar
| Pomegranate
| Lime
Quite the funky one, with homemade pomegranate salsa, a really mineral focused mezcal we got to taste neat on the house and green Chartreuse being behind the “herbal liqueur”. A mix of really intense notes that still worked together, but would probably not be the drink to give your first time visitor. I could think of absolutely genius combinations with several Mexican foods just in that one moment. Red fruits with quite some acidity (salsa and vinegar at the same time!) meet the intense herbs of the Chartreuse and the smoother Mezcal (which was a good choice obviously, otherwise there would be way too much going on). Quite the step away from a classic Last Word, but fascinating by itself.
Chango Tequilero
| Harradura Reposado Tequila
| Naked Malt Whiskey
| Brown Butter
| Banana
| Falernum
| Lime
For this one the Tequila got sous vide fat washed with the brown butter and in contrast to several other “buttery/fatty notes meet sour notes” experiments we had through the years, this one really nailed the balance. Slightly tending towards the more savory and hearty notes, which was the right call. Somewhere between a Royal Bermuda Yachtclub on ice, but with more buttery and malty notes of course and a Corn N' Oil with its deep complexity. The lime here was just that nice spark, the contrast you need to appreciate the other stuff more, like that pinch of salt you always need in cooking. A great, easy drinkable, but still complex concoction.
Mestizo
| Siete Misterios Doba-yej Mezcal
| Herradura Reposado Tequila
| Basil
| Med Orange Liqueur
| Green Apple
| Lime
| Prosecco
Here we have one of our top 3 drinks we had in all of Athens during this extensive bar tour. An intense, herbal and green riff on the Old Cuban, what a great idea already. Made using a cordial of green, sour apples and lime, as well as a homemade basil pesto and some basil oil on top of the drink too. Just bursting with intense green flavors all around, basil and lime on the nose, some light agave and smokiness also shining through. Tasting you get all that and even more, being transported directly into your brain thanks to the carbonation (the Prosecco), agave, basil en masse but fresh and at no point bitter, green apple well integrated, not a microgram too much acidity there. It basically drinks like the most amazing riff on a Last Word you had, combined with a touch of Old Cuban. Loved it.
If the powerful signatures have not yet convinced guests, there is also the possibility to try any Tequila or Mezcal either solo or as a flight, expertly selected for beginners or to discover the different varieties of Agave.
(click to enlarge)
So having tested our way through around 4 signature cocktails already, we were in for a nice Mezcal flight of their choice. The only theme was “not your prototype earthy smoke-bomb style of Mezcal” (think Vida & Co.). The bartender delivered and how she delivered. As a more easy-going entry, we got the Las Milpas by the famous house of Del Meguey. A single village bottling featuring a pleasant aroma of grapefruit zests, tobacco, dried agave, maritime notes and radicchio. The same goes for the taste, not the most complex, but elegant, smooth and untypical, there is grapefruit, some light leather, salt, and agave.
Following that a special bottling for the 20th Anniversary of the also quite renowned Alipus brand and here it got truly fascinating. In the nose you got a lot of green freshness, cucumber, zucchini, tarragon and basil, also wet algae and minerals. Tasting it you will find at the start some banana chips, then zucchini, coconut chips, juicy, fresh agave and eggplant, as well as salt and pepper. For the final one, I looked up my tasting notes from the La Medida Mezcal tasting to find that one particularly fruity agave I loved, and it turned out to be Tobasiche. And indeed they found a bottling by Macurichos, 50%, tiny batch, handcrafted stuff. Notes of raspberries, intense all around, eucalyptus, mineral notes, rose petals, ginger, camphor and cardamom, as well as star anise, resin and lavender, in the nose and mouth. Incredible spirits and a perfect choice by the staff.
For us, it had never become more clear, how many possibilites exist for mixing with Tequila or Mezcal. Being able to create completely different aromatic combinations with them and to be able to deliver that uniquely local (local to South and Central America that is) experience all the way in Europe is remarkable. That is despite the fact, that of course we had been to events and places who have attempted to show authentic spirits before, but none have quite impressed as this one. All that without any silly props, kitschy skull decor, folkloric music or other associations one might have when thinking of a ‘Mexican Bar’.
Other than Baba Au Rum it was the only bar in Athens that we visited twice, and I feel that even if one would come back 5 days of the week there would still be new things to discover and taste every day, considering we did not even delve into the possibilities of making Negronis, Palomas and other cocktails based on rare Tequila & Mezcals.
Cheers
/jf /rds
A look at more of the interior and outside seating area (left of the black pillar):
Copyright: Flag / Barro Negro