Overview: Atheras Spirits introduces the Monks Line, marking its entry into base spirits with a triple-distilled vodka and two gins. This expansion follows the brand’s existing portfolio of amari, liqueurs, and bitters.
The Full Story
Co-founders Ektoras Binikos and Simon Jutras established Atheras Spirits in 2024. The Monks Line is distilled at a micro-distillery inside Bitter Monk cocktail bar in Industry City, Brooklyn. The line honors the monastic tradition of distillation and pays tribute to Binikos’ great-great-grandfather, Ilias Binikos.
The portfolio has earned Gold at the 2025 American Distillers Institute awards and the 2025 New York International Spirits Competition, as well as Gold and Silver at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The brand makes nearly every essential cocktail ingredient in-house with base spirits now joining its amari, liqueurs, and bitters.
Production & Profile
Each Monks Line expression starts with a 192-proof, corn-based neutral spirit. The spirit is charcoal-filtered at the source to remove any trace of corn flavor. For the gins, Binikos and team skip the traditional gin basket. Every botanical instead macerates in the spirit at 150 proof for 48 hours before it is strained, filtered, and distilled in a traditional copper still.
The Monks Line features three expressions, each with its own character: Monks Vodka (40% ABV, $33) is distilled three times and charcoal-filtered during its initial run. It is naturally gluten-free and cut with pure distilled water to deliver a silky-smooth texture. Monks Gin West (40% ABV, $37) is a London Dry–style gin with a fragrant blend of juniper and coriander, brightened by Seville orange, mountain sage, lemon verbena, and a touch of zesty coconut. It finishes with delicate notes of vetiver and earthy saffron, offering depth, texture, and complexity.
Monks Gin East (45% ABV, $41) is inspired by Asia. This lively gin opens with fresh galangal and ginger, then moves into bright, floral citrus from grains of paradise. Green cardamom and patchouli add earthy depth and aroma. It is bold and lightly spiced, made for cocktails like a gin and tonic.
Brand & Industry History
Atheras Spirits was founded in 2024 by Head Distiller, Creative Director and Veteran Bartender Ektoras Binikos, Designer and Photographer Simon Jutras, and financier Jon Brayshaw. The name honors the long monastic tradition of distillation, which produced many of Europe’s herbal liqueurs and amari. It also pays tribute to Binikos’ great-great-grandfather, Ilias Binikos, an Orthodox monk (and later a priest) on the Greek island of Ikaria who became one of the island’s prominent winemakers and distillers.
The brand operates two cocktail bars: Sugar Monk in Harlem, named in part for Thelonious Monk, and Bitter Monk in Brooklyn. The botanicals come from the same network behind the Atheras Spirits liqueurs and amari. Most are wild-foraged by the team’s two longtime partners, ethnobotanist Elizabeth Kontou and meadow specialist Tama Matsuoka Wong, who follow sustainable harvesting practices.
What This Means
The East-West contrast carries through to the bottles. Jutras, who leads the brand’s visual identity, designed labels that continue the story behind the name: Monks Gin West and Monks Vodka depict Western monks praying and gathering herbs, while Monks Gin East features a Buddhist monk in vivid saffron robes. The line will be available in 750ml bottles through a new partnership with distributor Massanois, beginning in New York and New Jersey later this year, followed by Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Illinois in 2027.
Consumer Takeaway
The line will also be available to ship directly to consumers in 44 states via the Atheras Spirits e-commerce site. For more information, visit atherasspirits.com and follow along on social media at @atherasspirits.
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