A unique bar dedicated to the early jazz period and classic cocktails has been operating for 30 years.
I still remember the first time I opened the heavy door of Jazz in Jazz in Kolonaki. I crossed the tiny vestibule to find myself in a strange world filled with hundreds of memorabilia hanging on the walls, musical instruments, and memories from the travels of Kostas Spanou, the founder and creator of Jazz in Jazz, a sailor by profession.
Kostas Spanos loves Jazz. In his bar, which first opened in 1977 in Agia Galini, Crete, Jazz was given its due. More than 10,000 pieces of vinyl, carefully selected from the early period of his favourite music, were placed behind the bar, next to whiskey bottles.
In 1995, Jazz in Jazz moved to its current location at number 4 Deinokratous Street, Kolonaki, Athens.
Vangelis Spanos, nephew of the owner and successor of this important legacy, stands behind the bar today.
Determined to serve with the passion of the bar: Musical and human-centred at the same time, Jazz in Jazz continues to produce culture through musical moments and human stories.
“Our role here is to give visitors the opportunity to take a small trip. A journey through music and alcohol. We detect their desires and curiosity to try and become their guide,” he tells me as he prepares me a Gin & Tonic with great precision and attention to detail.
At Jazz in Jazz, you will not find signature cocktails with complex techniques or foreign descriptions. Here, the art of the classics shines. From a well-crafted GnT and a Boulevardier to the city’s premier Clover Club, everything is aimed at enjoying the classic.
They coexist with a great collection of malt and blended whiskies.
The knowledge and passion of Vangelis, Kostas and Tasos – the people behind the bar – do not exhaust their love for alcohol. Here, you will find premium gin and aged rum labels, and starting this year, they also bottle their own IPA beer.
Louis Armstrong, Art Blackley, Charles Mingus, and many more fill the bar sky with soulful melodies.
Customers, regulars and non-regulars alike, let the healing power of the music wash over them as they enjoy their drink. You feel it by turning your gaze to the space.
No mobile phone disturbs the atmosphere. Everyone communicates, chats, flirts, and draws strength from the music in a sequence of sensations that only the atmosphere of an authentic bar can provide.
People become integral to this atmosphere—young people next to older people. All of them are a great company, free from the defences of everyday life.
A young couple sits at a long wooden bar where the signs dominate: “You are served at the bar” and “Do not leave your personal belongings on the next chair, please.”
They are both newbies and they can’t wait to try a cocktail. Vangelis guides them, detecting their taste preferences at the same time. He prepares them a small degustation menu of three different whiskeys, which are easy to drink and suitable for beginners.
The so-called entry level is an Irish one, a slightly smoked one, and a sweet drink from Speyside, Scotland.
“More and more young people in recent years want to get to know whiskey and try it. Also, more and more women accept and adopt hard alcohol,” Vangelis tells me.
A couple of tourists have just entered the bar. They seem impressed by the music and the decoration.
As soon as it winters for good, this nest of authentic fun will begin to suffocate people almost as soon as it opens.
As much as I appreciate the glitz and quiet of a bar that has just opened its doors, the clamour of people enjoying themselves with all their senses has its own adorable grace.
Jazz in Jazz: Deinokratous 4, Dexameni – Kolonaki.
Grigoris Philippatos is a columnist for New Money. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
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