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Stunning Photos Of Brettos, The Oldest Bar In Athens

Wooden barrels and colorful bottles line the walls of this century-old bar.
Francesca Giaitzoglou - Watkinson
Brettos is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Athens.
Francesca Giaitzoglou - Watkinson
Brettos is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Athens.

If you visit the Greek capital, you can’t miss the hundreds of colorful bottles that decorate the walls of the oldest bar and distillery in Athens, "Brettos," which has been open since 1909.

Its founder, Michail Brettos, produced ouzo -- Greece's most popular drink -- in the distillery, as well as brandy, sherry, peppermint, mastic and citron liqueur, faithfully following ancestral recipes from the ancient Greek city of Smyrna.

After running Brettos -- in two different locations in the heart of Athens -- for 60 years, its original owner sold it to Aggelos Anastasiadis and Dimitris Zorotiades, who then sold it to its current owner, Ioannis Papadonikolakis.

The wooden barrels that Michail Brettos used to store his ouzo and brandy still line the wall -- Papadonikolakis was keen on maintaining the original character of the store.

"We have maintained in full the store's form so that it is not too different from how it was in its earlier years," Villy Saraidari, one of the bartenders, told HuffPost Greece.

Saraidari says that the Brettos distillery produces ouzo, tsipouro, raki, rakomelo and brandy. They also offer 250 cocktails and 170 Greek wines.

Scroll down for more photos from Brettos.

This piece was originally published on HuffPost Greece and has been translated into English.

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