The Tailor (Amsterdam)

On the edge of Dam Square, across from the Royal Palace, the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky has 170 years of history behind its ornate facade. Past the glass atrium of the Winter Garden sits one of Amsterdam's classier hotel bars: The Tailor. I had the privilege of visiting the majestic Anantara and it’s elegant The Tailor bar during Europe’s 50 Best Bars.

The name comes from A.W. Krasnapolsky, a 22-year-old tailor who arrived in Amsterdam in 1856 following his father and grandfather into the trade. He used to unwind at the coffee houses around Dam Square, and in 1866 he bought one. That coffee house became the hotel that still carries his name.The theme runs through every detail. A tape measure lines the bar top, the lighting is woven from ribbon, and cocktails are grouped by texture, silky, velvet, cashmere, rather than by spirit.

Bar manager Alexander Montrose, known as Monty, has built a real partnership with Wynand Fockink, the historic distillery next door that's been making spirits since 1679. Its liqueurs and genevers show up throughout the cocktail list.

The strongest section of the menu is the carbonated drinks, house sodas made and carbonated on site. My favorite is the Vismaya, a fresh, savoury highball of Tequila Blanco, Italicus Bergamotto, maraschino, timut pepper, and salt leaf soda. The agave bite plays against bergamot citrus and a faint peppercorn buzz, with the salt leaf giving mineral edge rather than plain salinity.

The Cerveza XXX is worth ordering too, a whisky take on a shandy: Balvenie Scotch, locally toasted malt barley, citrus, and whey. It's malty and slightly creamy against fresh citrus, and comes in three Balvenie tiers (12 Doublewood, 14 Week of Peat, 21 Port Cask), so the smoke or dried fruit character shifts depending on which you pick.

The bar itself avoids feeling like a hotel lobby overflow. There's a proper bar counter, deep lounge sofas, a heated terrace on Dam Square, and a private corner called the Snug, a nod to old Dutch drinking rooms where people could take a quiet drink away from view. There's also a cigar cocktail pairing on the patio, drinks built specifically to hold up against a cigar.

Cerveza XXX

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