Barro Negro, Greece's first agave-themed bar, reinvents the Porn Star Martini

At Barro Negro, Greece's first bar dedicated exclusively to agave spirits, owner Stelios Papadopoulos has designed the menu around tequila and mezcal. "We have the most advanced technology and are very efficient, but we don't want to boast about it," he explains. "We want to focus on the agave spirit."

His dream is to offer the best margarita possible in the city, in the country, and hopefully one day worldwide, but the menu goes beyond the classics. The Mayan's Punch is a clarified cocktail inspired by both traditional Mexican tepache and the European penchant for Porn Star Martinis. "The Greeks were obsessed with Porn Star Martinis; it was a whole phenomenon," Papadopoulos says with a laugh. "Everyone was ordering passion fruit, anything with passion fruit, so we gave it a different twist."

Tepache is a fermented pineapple beverage with pre-Columbian roots, which the team makes in-house. The touch of passion fruit unites both inspirations and nods to the Porn Star Martini without losing its Mexican essence.

For Papadopoulos, every cocktail is built around agave. “Every time we create a cocktail, a fundamental element is to enhance the base spirit,” he explains. “Even with a Paloma or a Margarita, we make sure that the spirit is always the star.”

The menu also has to work as a whole and cater to any customer, whether or not they're a fan of agave. "We have to make sure we cover all tastes and palates, which is the challenge with drinks made solely from agave spirits," he adds. He summarizes: "We want bitter, sweet, and sour flavors; we have to meet every possible demand. The great thing about agave is its versatility: it can be a very useful ingredient and become a key element in creating blends."