Athens bar serves up art in liquid form

Athens-based bar The Clumsies has teamed up with artists to turn creative concepts into drinks. Bartender Elvis Zeneli tells db how they balance innovation with high-volume service. 

Athens bar The Clumsies, consistently ranked among The World’s 50 Best Bars, has built a reputation for pushing cocktail boundaries, with one of its latest concepts centred around collaborations with 10 fine artists — a project more than a year in the making.

Speaking to The Drinks Business, bartender Elvis Zeneli said: “The concept took us more than a year and a half to finalise.”

The idea centres on translating each artist’s vision into flavour. Zeneli explained: “We are trying to express their main flavour, their main idea in the drink.” In one example, “the artist that I’m collaborating [with], he’s a sculptor… he said to me that he likes figs, so we did a drink with figs.”

While the concept leans creative, the team has worked to balance accessibility with experimentation. “In most of them, we tried to use more normal ingredients, ingredients that you can find the whole year or the seasonality,” he said. At the same time, more unconventional elements still feature, including “a clay soda” and “blue cheese”.

Zeneli acknowledged that some serves are more niche: “It’s not a drink that everybody is drinking… we call them expert drinkers.”

Educating guests without alienating them

A key part of the bar’s approach lies in guiding customers through unfamiliar flavours. “Most of the time we try to educate our customers,” Zeneli said, “not in a way that they’re going to get offended, but in a way that they will love it.”

This extends to helping guests better understand classic cocktails and flavour profiles. “We try to educate them on the different profile of their drinks, our menu and also of our classics.”

The strategy reflects a broader philosophy at The Clumsies, where hospitality and communication are prioritised as highly as technical execution. The room accommodates up to 10 guests at a time, allowing for this intimacy and personalisation to flow.

“Without communication [with the guests], there’s no hospitality,” Zeneli added.

High-volume service with precision

Operating as an all-day venue, The Clumsies opens at 10am and closes at 2am (or 3am on weekends), serving everything from coffee to late-night cocktails.

Despite the scale, the bar maintains consistency through streamlined processes. “Maximum moves at doing a cocktail are three,” Zeneli explained.

Pre-batching also plays a role in cocktails where its easy to do so, for example, their Negroni and their Old Fashioned is premixed, Zeneli explained.

The numbers underline the scale of the operation. “Each bartender… does around 120, 150 cocktails a day,” Zeneli said.

However, speed is not the only goal. Physically reducing steps behind the counter allows bartenders to focus on guests: “It’s better for us to do one move and try to communicate with the customers.”

Balancing locals and global appeal

The Clumsies attracts a predominantly international crowd, with Zeneli estimating “80% international, 20% locals”.

Drinking preferences differ between the two groups. “The locals, they stick with something classic. They do not really experiment,” he said, citing drinks such as “dry martinis, Negronis, Manhattan”.

Tourists, meanwhile, tend to explore the bar’s signature menu. “They go for the signature, because they can get [classics] anywhere… but they cannot get The Clumsies.”

An all-day Athenian institution

Housed in a neoclassical townhouse, The Clumsies has built a reputation as one of the world’s leading bars since opening in 2014. Its “Perfect Imperfection” philosophy underpins both the drinks and the guest experience.

The venue’s all-day format also reflects local culture. “This is something very, very Greek. It’s an all day venue,” Zeneli said, noting that cocktails can be served at any hour depending on guest demand.

From morning regulars to late-night tourists, the atmosphere shifts throughout the day. “The energy actually changes at 5:30… then later at night it becomes more like a party.”

As the new menu prepares to launch, the bar continues to combine creativity with operational rigour — and a clear focus on hospitality.

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