On Wednesday evening, we had the chance to visit Martiny’s, a new bar in Gramercy, to sample Kástra Elión vodka. Hailing from the Nafpaktos region of Greece, Kástra Elión is an artisan-crafted vodka distilled from Greek olives. They partnered with Martiny’s, recently launched by Takuma Watanabe of Angel’s Share fame, to create premium cocktails to showcase their new spirit.
Kástra Elión “is distilled from hand-picked olives in the Nafpaktos region of Greece, creating a unique flavor profile with subtle notes of ripe olives refined with peppery undertones and a soft, buttery finish.” Cocktail master Takuma Watanabe whipped up some delicious cocktail creations from the unique spirit, which we got to sample alongside some asian-inspired bites specialty of Martiny’s. King fish carpaccio with truffle and ponzu, chicken karage with kaluga caviar, white asparagus drenched in a miso egg yolk sauce, and my personal favorite, wagyu-parmesean topped brioche, circled the space on silver trays for guests to pick up alongside their cocktails.
The first cocktail on the menu, Aphrodite’s Delight, was a refreshingly delicious take on white negroni, with maldon salt, sakura vermouth, tea tincture, and of course the Kástra Elión as the focal point. Guests were greeted with a glass of this topped with a fresh flower, while getting to know each other and the Kástra Elión creators Frank, Mike, and Brandon. This cocktail, designed by Watanabe, is sweetly named after Frank’s daughter and Mike’s wife Aphrodite, and pays homage to the Greek origins of the brand. After enjoying this delicious cocktail and listening to Frank sing and play some traditional Greek tunes on his guitar, we settled into the cozy sitting area upstairs to hear Frank tell the story of how he developed the spirit.
Frank’s past experience with chemistry of beverages served as a great launching point for creating Kástra Elión. He worked on development of cold brew coffee in the 80s, before the trend of cold brew swept the world recently. Creating a vodka from olives was a challenge, but using his knowledge of “chemistry and alchemy” he was able to extract what was needed to create the spirit. Greek olives proved superior in this capability – he also tried the process with a Californian and Spanish variety. Wanting to honor his home country with Kástra Elión, he keeps partnerships with local Greek businesses. Especially following the recent economic crisis, he wants to go whatever good he can for the country. In addition to the process and source, the brand highlights its roots through its logo and name. Kástra means castle in Greek and Elión is a play on the work for olive groves, so the name means “a castle full of olive groves.” The logo is an insignia with byzantine influence designed by cofounder Brandon.
Accompanying the history of the brand was a carefully curated tasting of the high-quality vodka. We smelled the spirit and sipped to taste the flavors of the olive that lay in the spirit – fruity, buttery, and citrusy. We sipped Kástra Elión straight, and then sampled it in a classic martini with olives. Frank spoke to the quality of the spirit, saying that “you could have 3 full glasses of this and wake up the next morning feeling perfectly alright.”
After the tasting, we all went back downstairs for some more bites and the second cocktail, a play on a G&T called the Dirty Tonic. In addition to Kástra Elión, this cocktail contained a charred bay leaf, spiced olive oil, and tonic water. Each guest took home a personalized bottle of the smooth and buttery vodka we celebrated tonight. We can’t wait to see it become a hit in NYC like it’s becoming in LA, where the founders reside. Until then, stop by Martiny’s to ask for an Aphrodite’s Delight and shop Kástra Elión here.
