Aris Makris

Bar codex Aris Makris

The most enjoyable thing in my work is meeting people who are interested in what they’re drinking. This is why I get up and go to the bar, even if I’ve had an awful shift the night before.

If a guest comes to just have a good time and drink their favorite gin & tonic, I’ll be happy to serve them. Recently, I read a joke about a mixologist who died of a broken heart after a guest asked him for a beer. But anyways – I’m definitely not that mixologist.

If a guest has had too much to drink, I give him a glass of water, and then we see whether he ought to keep going. I always have the last word.

The first bar in my life was a little Greek taverna which I visited with my uncle. That was when I understood that I wanted to open my own bar. To be fair, I didn’t know anything about mixology then, and could only imagine that stereotypical Greek establishment with food, gin & tonics, wine, and whisky.

To be honest, I don’t like being a manager at all. It’s so stressful! Your competition is watching you 24 hours a day. You have to keep doing more and more to remain on top.

I came up with my best cocktails while dancing in a club and a little drunk, or on the way home at 3 in the morning. It’s a little like daydreaming: my imagination gets carried away, and a new combination of ingredients or way of serving comes to mind.

Good bartenders should always be asking themselves: “What is this?” What is water? What is vodka? What is gin, actually? Or tonic? Or a gin & tonic? This has taught me a lot.

I apologize in advance, but I have to declare: no other country in the world has the same variety of alcohol as France. Don’t forget about the overseas territories of France where they make rum, like Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Réunion!

I believe that if an elixir for eternal life exists, it’s using local produce. One of my favorite places in the world is a little Greek island called Icaria. The locals live an average of more than a hundred years. All because they only eat and drink what is made naturally on the island.

You can’t ever follow trends. Now, for example, mezcal is fashionable all over the world. But if you want to understand what the “next mezcal” will be, you shouldn’t be using mezcal. You have to keep searching.

Of course, a daiquiri will always be a daiquiri no matter where you are in the world. But no matter what, I always add something of my own to any classic cocktail. It’s like getting a new phone and putting a sticker on it.

Sometimes, guests tell me: “You move so beautifully, you hold a shaker so beautifully, you pour alcohol so beautifully…” I like hearing it, but I just try to be efficient and do everything as fast as I can.

Be humble. Today, the bartending profession has become star-studded. Sometimes, I want to tell my colleagues: guys, you’re not doctors or pilots, nobody’s life is depending on you. You’re just making drinks.