The menu evolves over the seasons with four local ingredients featured each year, as 2025 sees orange, pine, pear, and dairy explored in their various seasonal states.
Bar manager, Manon Kapfer, who launched the menu’s concept in 2023, told DI: “When we took over Avra it was more of a business lounge, and with the view and location, we wanted to find a way to make it shine. Bars should be about experience, not just the perfect drink. We wanted to implement Greek hospitality and the way of doing things that you see in street bars in Greece, but not in hotel bars.”
The hotel has a garden on-site where it forages many of the cocktail ingredients: “When the season changes, we change the menu. We use the ingredients however they are available, so in the winter it’s more the root or bark and for spring it’s flowers and leaves, then the fruit is used in its main form when available,” Kapfer continued.
The signature menu launches with the spring iterations as the Orange highlights its blossom through a blend of Boatyard Gin, pistachio, and sparkling wine. Pear uses Kristali, a Greek pear variety, combined with Calle 23 Tequila Reposado, pecan, and lemon. The Pine uses the tree’s needles blended with traditional Greek spirit, Axia Mastiha, The Lost Explorer Espadín, kiwi, and rosewood. Finally, Avra’s Dairy cocktail features goat cheese-washed Chopin Vodka, Mancino Secco Vermouth, and melon.
The physical menu is designed as an interactive, origami-inspired game, as Kapfer added this was to “make it fun and showcase the four signature drinks. For me, I get very bored when someone brings me a really long signature cocktail list and I always end up just picking a classic”.
On the seasonality, Kapfer said: “The guest is always right but when it comes to sustainability sometimes it’s tough to tell them no because the ingredients aren’t in season. I also try to focus on Greek products like Axia. We have to find a balance between our winter guests and our summer guests, because in the winter it’s Greek and in the summer we have a mix of guests such as Americans who love dry, boozy drinks for example.
“It’s also still tough as people here like to go out with loud music and open bars, and the hotel bar didn’t fit that image of fun. Slowly we introduced parties and showed the hotel in this light. We also didn’t want to exclude anyone with pricing. I wanted to give the five star experience to everyone, and people have told me the Four Seasons is now their neighbourhood bar,” Kapfer continued.
