Baba Au Rum: A member of the pantheon of the best bars worldwide serves fine drinking in a relaxed mood

I remember it was around 2009 when two friends announced that we were going to Baba Au Rum, the new hot spot downtown. Completely different times then, much younger, on our visit we discovered another perspective on the ‘bar’ concept. Looking back, I wonder if what won us over was the tiki aesthetic, mixed with hand-picked vintage items and a cosmopolitan Zen aura that gave the space a sense of handcrafted intimacy. Certainly it was the cocktails, which were unexpectedly wonderful, made with a different perceptions, ideas, colours, fresh handmade ingredients, with a highly explanatory catalogue, bound like a book that might as well be read as such.

Since my love at first sight then, I have been visiting it consistently every year. At some point I met Thanos Prunarus, the head bartender, owner and initiator of this Avant Garde wonder, a man with an effortless, innate kindness, deep knowledge of his art, who devotes hours upon hours to the R&D of fine drinking. The bar is constantly in the list with the World’s 50 Best Bars and also a member of the International Rum Experts. Whatever may be written about this one of a kind hangout, what counts at the end of the day is the experience: which is always open and inclusive, with a lively mood, good prices, and of course the best cocktails in town. That is why it is honoured both by the locals, the residents of other cities, as well as the international audience looking for the best of Athens.

His new team continues the same tradition, bringing new energy and feel-good vibes: The result is a natural and effortless reinvention of his intentions, which sometimes are inspired or inspire the world stage, making Baba Au Rum a hangout for even the multi-experienced drinker. This year, they also introduced bar food, which also raises the experience with tropical elements, as you will find in the sensational shrimp tartar with chives, chilli, the coolness of lemon, guacamole and aromatic tsipouro mousse; or the airy beetroot gnocchi filled with gorgonzola, with grated parmesan and dill powder.

The magic that emerges from the marriage of fine spirits with exotic fruits, spices and herbs, from every corner of the world, is evident as bare truth in Basquiat’s Daisy, a classic cocktail with an Avant Garde soul, full of vitality and colour like the New York artist of which it took itsname. It consists of the floral Lillet Rouge, with spicy notes of grape and orange, house-fermented blackberry wine and a seductive Fords gin infused with jasmine and citrus; a revelation. Then there’s Optophone I, with Bacardi Cuatro Cuban rum with fresh Haitian Clairin Le Rocher rum, coconut, fresh lime, Chinotto liqueur, orange and notes of sweet spices, inspired by the subversive aesthetic of an anarchist Dadaist artist.

With quality drinks, relaxed atmosphere, nice music and an excellent team, Baba Au Rum is a constant in fine drinking, drawing inspiration from everything that makes our lives beautiful, be it art, culture, music, travel, Athens itself.