When I met Thanos Prounarous at a professional weekend event in Crete, I was instantly drawn to his calm strength. He was there to create specialized cocktails for the Art Prize 2024 award ceremony of the G & A Mamidakis Foundation at the Minos Palace Hotel & Suites, and to curate an exquisite cocktail menu for the hotel.
I was already a big fan of his award-winning bar, Baba Au Rum, which revolutionized the cocktail scene in Greece when it opened in 2009. The bar charms its global clientele with addictive drinks so delicious you can’t stop at just one. Through this interview, I discovered what led to his many stellar initiatives and unique moves. It’s no coincidence that Baba Au Rum has ranked among the World’s 50 Best Bars every year since it opened in 2009. This year (October 2024) it ranked 16th in this category. And this past July, it was also awarded by the Tales of Cocktail Foundation as the bar with the Best Drink Selection Worldwide for 2024, during the 18th Annual Spirited Awards®.
Before sitting down for our seafront interview at Minos Beach Hotel, I was set on diving into the sea to experience the hotel’s sound installation playing birdsong underwater, part of the hotel’s impressive sculpture garden. I was told I mustn’t miss it; this was my last chance. When I mentioned it to Prounarous, he grabbed his goggles and joined me in the adventure. Thus, the prelude to our interview was a fun and refreshing underwater exploration. In sharing this moment, I got a colorful glimpse into his spirit, seeing someone as playful and daring as he is grounded and set on finding what he seeks.
Let’s start in the present. Where are you at now with Baba Au Rum?
Baba Au Rum was the first establishment in Greece to create and serve cocktails, authentically. It was the first new-generation cocktail bar, marking a new era in Greece. This was achieved by initially introducing Athenians to the history of cocktails, which dates back to the mid-19th century. This is something they needed to know before they could understand that mixed drinks, as they were called back then, are a serious matter.
Today, we’ve reached the point, with the technology available and the equipment we have, that we can distill all the aromatic characteristics we want or imagine, or even create them ourselves, to craft new taste experiences.
We’ve also created the boutique pastry shop/specialty coffee shop ‘In Love Again,’, located right across from Baba Au Rum. It’s a highly creative high-end pastry gastronomy workshop I’ve created in collaboration with pastry chef Fania Andreadi. The desserts are influenced by cocktail culture, and we’ve worked by very high-quality standards.
Are you planning to open a new venue?
Ah, you never know! But I’m not your typical entrepreneur. I do things with my heart, so for that to happen, something has to inspire me. But I do have something in mind, something very new and different from what I’m currently doing. Many people believe you are what you appear to be, but I am much more. I do many other things, I’m involved in many more areas, like art, photography, and video art. I’m deeply engaged in travel and human psychology – I’m a keen observer of people. I also have a great love for music – I used to play in a band, and I’ve even recorded albums. I love reading, and I have a very large library. So, I am not who you expect me to be!
Let’s go back to the beginning. How did you start out?
I’ve been working professionally as a bartender since 1999. I studied tourism management, and we had courses on bar service, drinks, and enology. I started working professionally in London in 1998-99. Later on, I returned to Greece and worked at very few venues because wherever I was, I stayed on a while. And in 2009, I opened my own bar.
I created Baba Au Rum with a very specific purpose, which was to offer a novel experience of what a bar means. I started with a few genuine classics, like the Mag Streams from the 19th century, and Brandy Crusta from 1847. The fact that there is this continuity is the result of very hard work. It’s not by chance. And it’s also rooted in a very particular philosophy, one we apply to life in general, not just the way we work or make drinks.
We believe that bars should be places that are open to everyone. As the English say in describing their pubs, they are public spaces. As long as people respect the space and respect the people next to them. Bars should be social places, they should be places that provide equal opportunities and equality for everyone, and joy to everyone. They are places where ideas should be exchanged; they are cultural spaces. That’s how the authorities should see us, that’s how the municipality and all administrations should view us. Our work is important, they need to understand that.
Must a bartender have an innate talent to create ‘magical’ results?
Well, it’s what we call it having ‘the touch’. The touch is real, it exists. We might all follow the same recipes, but some people do it a little bit better. I think that starts with how much you genuinely love what you do, which makes you notice the small details and apply them. That’s really all there is to it.
Isn’t there something more, like a ‘sixth sense’?
(Laughs) Do you enjoy supernatural tales? I can tell you many if you like! But the main thing is to understand that this ‘sixth sense’ and all this metaphysical stuff begins from within us. We are the miracle, so if we can experience that inside and bring it out, that’s the ‘metaphysical’ part of the matter. I do it 100% – for me, serving a customer is a sacred moment.
What role does experimentation play in all this?
Experimentation plays a huge role, primarily to get to the core of things and understand, even if you fail. Make your own bitters. You won’t make them as well as those available on the market, but it doesn’t matter, because that way, you’ll understand them better, and you’ll be able to use them more correctly.
You’ve also created various products…
The products are the distillations we make ourselves. We have the Baba Au Rum beer, which is a tropical ale, currently only available at our bar. We also have our own merchandise, which is vast – it includes our own rum bottling, so we have our own rum. We also create art. We’ve been collaborating for many years with an old friend, artist Konstantinos Theocharis, and together we produce many things, from art posters to clothing.
Are you a big drinker?
I don’t drink much, but I drink well, and that’s what I encourage everyone to do. Alcohol has its pitfalls, and we need to be very careful. We need to learn to drink well so we can enjoy it. It can be a very pleasant experience when done right.
What are your tips for properly enjoying a cocktail?
First, drink it the way the bartender recommends, in the glass they suggest. Drink it without a straw, so your nose and mouth are closer to the drink, giving you the chance to smell it and capture all the flavors and aromas, engaging all the senses. Also, drink with an open heart, share with your friends, and talk to the person next to you—unless they want their peace! But a drink is always better with good company.
Now let’s look into the future. What are your plans?
There’s always something in the works; we’re always looking ahead. This year, as we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we’re planning to release the seventh issue of our magazine, ‘Fine Drinking’, as part of a series of events we’ve organized for the occasion.
Any favorite hangouts in Athens (bars, restaurants, etc.)?
What I think is important is not my favorite spots in the city, but what we as residents and visitors are now seeking from our city. At the moment, I’m working against ‘hyper-tourism’, or over-tourism. I might sound misanthropic, but trust me, I’m not. I just can’t stand meaningless “trends” anymore. I’m seeking more substance, and above all, higher awareness, from those around me. Collectivity, humanitarianism, social movements aimed at the common good—that’s what we need.
So, if you ask me which restaurant to go to in Athens, I’ll recommend that you visit places where the owners operate with a shared consciousness and respect toward their employees. If they do that, they’ll surely show more respect to their ingredients, the producers, the cooks, and the food itself. Good food, like drink, is the result of education and awareness, not just something for entertainment.
