The Bar in Front of the Bar (Athens)

Jon giving Alex a layback of his favorite juice at Li Tseri (Ionnina)

Angelos Bafas guest shift at Heads or Tails (Ionnina)

Thanks to Konstantinos Theodorakopoulos of The Bar in Front of the Bar, I finally made it back to Athens! My last visit was in 2012, before I even drank cocktails, so this was a whole new experience.

The trip started with a sunset cocktail at Taratsa, the Acropolis-view rooftop restaurant and bar co-owned by Konstantinos. It was a beautiful start to a trip organized by Konstantinos, Alex, Nikos, and the team at The Bar in Front of the Bar. They invited a few journalist friends, alongside bartenders Holly Graham of Tokyo Confidential, Jonathan Gabbay of Argo at Four Seasons Hong Kong, Angelos Bafas of Cato London, and Aineias Dimitris of Late Bloomers Zurich.

The Bar in Front of the Bar is, quite literally, a bar in front of another bar. Both spaces are powered by the same team and the same kitchen, functioning as two distinct rooms separated by a single wall. The front bar has no indoor seating; you order at the counter and drink on the street. At The Bar in Front of the Bar, the (delicious) cocktails change regularly and follow a closed-loop, zero-waste approach.

Around Athens, we also visited other bars, although my favorite was The Clumsies. This was in part thanks to the company—my high school friend Sophie, who now lives in Athens, joined me for Negronis at the high-energy bar.

From Athens, we flew to Ioannina, where the international bartenders participated in exciting pop-ups at Heads or Tails, Li Tseri, Route 66, and Spitaki. We spent two days in Ioannina, which allowed us to form special bonds with the other bartenders, connect with the locals, and experience the thriving bar scene. On the second day, we traveled to the outstanding Katogi Averoff winery in Metsovo, capping off the visit with an epic lunch.

A special thank you to Vikos and Patrón for sponsoring the event!

Lunch in Metsovo

Barcelona Hotel Bar Week 2026

Barcelona Hotel Bar Week organizer Bianca Grisolia with Salvatore Calabrese

Barcelona Hotel Bar Week is back for a second edition, running 21 to 27 September 2026. Launched in 2025 as the first cocktail week built entirely around hotel bars, it opens the city's most prominent hotel venues to the public for seven days of guest shifts, tastings, masterclasses and special events. The week is organized by Bianca Grisolia through her agency, BG PR & Communication, who frames it as an invitation to treat hotel bars as open, everyday spaces rather than closed-off luxury, and to deepen the dialogue between mixology, hospitality and the city.

The format is simple. Each participating hotel creates a drink list for the week, with a minimum of one signature cocktail and one low-ABV or non-alcoholic option, all priced at a flat €12 to encourage barhopping. Evenings center on takeovers and guest shifts featuring national and international bartenders. The week opens with an official party and closes with another, both open to the public.

Several recurring formats return alongside new additions. Mix & Eat pairs kitchens with bars through brunches, tapas, aperitifs and dinners, with spirits sometimes folded directly into the food. The 2026 program also broadens beyond cocktails into wellness and lifestyle, adding yoga, meditation, outdoor activities and networking sessions, plus a stronger focus on low- and no-alcohol drinks. An international exchange program brings in guest bartenders and teams from other cities, and the collaboration with Makeat continues with workshops and talks on sustainability, differentiation and guest experience.

The event is ticketed through an official Pass, available via the website, Eventbrite and social channels, which includes access to the closing party. The Bar Passport also returns: pass holders collect stamps from the hotels they visit, unlocking benefits and prizes across the week.

More than 25 hotel bars are taking part, including Banker's Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Punch Room at The Barcelona EDITION, Nobu Bar, FURTIVO at ME Barcelona, Noxe at W Barcelona and rooftop venues at Almanac, Ohla and Renaissance. The full lineup, event calendar and international guest list will be announced in the coming months.

Details are at barcelonahotelbarweek.com and on Instagram barcelonahotelbarweek.

VIPs at Barcelona Hotel Bar Week 2025