8

Line

Athens

An airy former gallery bar with a farm to glass ethos

A short ride from Athens' city centre is a former art gallery that, with its ceiling-height and Mediterranean-industrial aesthetic, could just as easily pass as a mechanic's shop as it could one of the world's most forward-thinking bars.

This is Line, Athens' most ambitious bartending project. Created by Dimitris Dafopoulos alongside Athens bartending royalty in Vasilis Kyritsis and Nikos Bakoulis, whose debut bar The Clumsies has been a regular in The World's 50 Best Bars ranking, Line is a cocktail bar with a conscience. The focus here is a circular economy – the bar ferments its own fruit wines, beers and sourdough breads on-site with waste from the production finding its way into to a list of classics-inspired cocktails.

It's the fruit wines (called Why-ins), that are at the centre of the bar's drinks offering. Made in-house by the team, in collaboration with acclaimed Greek winemaker Thanos Georgilas, they are divided into two categories. Classic Why-ins take inspiration from traditional grape wine production, using nothing but fruit, yeast and time. The Fancy Why-ins take more influence from the Line team's bartending roots – here the wines are augmented with flavoured distillates, aromas or fresh fruits.

The cocktail list doesn't disappoint either. Kyritsis and Bakoulis have built a reputation on their deep understanding of flavour and for an example at Line, look no further than the Delusional Margarita. A twist on the classic serve that combines reposado tequila with mustard, ketchup, potato water and spices, and somehow manages to be utterly delicious.

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