Coffee first, wine later, a little bitterness before dinner, something cold and effervescent when the pavements begin to glow with late evening sunlight. Over the past few years, the city has developed a sharper appetite for spritz culture, not as borrowed Italian theater, but as a useful urban pleasure: low-alcohol drinks, vermouth, Greek wine, small plates, outdoor tables, and the hour of the day when work loosens its grip.

The new spritzerias and aperitivo bars of Athens are not identical. Some lean Italian, with cicchetti, pizza, vermouth, and Campari. Others bring in Greek cheeses, island breads, cured meats, bottarga, retsina, and wines from small producers. What links them is a rhythm the city understands instinctively: a drink before dinner that may turn into dinner, a table taken early that stays occupied longer than planned, and the simple brilliance of something bitter, cold, and sparkling in the glass.

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