The team analysed the bars that ranked 51-100 in this year’s poll and highlighted Galaxy Bar as “a rising star” that has the potential to break into the main list in coming years.
The bar launched in February 2019 and it has already garnered a reputation for a very high quality of service in an intimate setting.
The World’s 50 Best Bars content editor Mark Sansom said the award represents “a firm indication of the burgeoning cocktail scene in the region”.
Natasha Sideris, a Greek entrepreneur living in South Africa, owns Galaxy alongside 24 other hospitality venues stretching from South Africa to the Middle East.
The bar celebrates her family’s Greek heritage. She told 50BB: “The Greeks are ultra-stylish. Athens is the epicentre of sophistication and Galaxy Bar is really a temple to Athenian culture.
“We have many design tropes that allude to the Parthenon: the sculpted bar, the curtains that drape the room, our beautiful terrazzo floor, the marble backbar and, of course, the stars on the ceiling that represent the Athens night sky. The hints towards Greece are subtle, but if you look for them, they’re there.
“We had this awkward square space attached to one of my restaurants that we were using as a storage area.
“We didn’t really know what to do with it, but I said to Krystian that I thought it had the potential to be a really cool little bar and we immediately started brainstorming the kind of place it could become.”
Krystian Hordejuk, the executive bar manager pictured with a cigar above, added: “Since the opening of Galaxy Bar, we have been determined to create a privé experience with an extremely high quality of service and a personal touch.
“We are honoured to be named as a Campari One To Watch as this award is an affirmation of our efforts as a team and a positive signal that we are headed in the right direction.
“In creating our cocktail menu, we have had to consider that we are catering for a well-travelled, multi-national audience. As a result, our approach has always been to select niche products, turning them into remarkable signature creations with a nod to timeless classics. We won’t rest on our laurels and will keep challenging ourselves to break into The World’s 50 Best Bars list.”