Atheras Spirits Expands Beyond Amari and Liqueurs with Monks Line, Featuring Two Gins and a Vodka

Co-Founders Ektoras Binikos and Simon Jutras Carry the Atheras Spirits Ethos of Ancient Heritage and Foraged Botanicals into Monks Line

New York, NY (November 5, 2026) – Atheras Spirits, the portfolio of artisanal, botanical amari and liqueurs, is moving into base spirits for the first time with the launch of Monks Line: a smooth, triple-distilled vodka and two gins, the London Dry-style Monks Gin West and the Asian-inspired Monks Gin East. Distilled at the brand's micro-distillery inside Bitter Monk cocktail bar in Industry City, Brooklyn, the line is a milestone for Co-Founders Ektoras Binikos and Simon Jutras. With base spirits now joining its amari, liqueurs, and bitters, the brand makes nearly every essential cocktail ingredient in-house.

Founded in 2024 by Head Distiller, Creative Director and Veteran Bartender Ektoras Binikos, Designer and Photographer Simon Jutras, and financier Jon Brayshaw, Atheras Spirits has built a library of more than 300 wild-foraged and sourced botanicals, and Monks Line draws on that same library. 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. That legacy runs through everything Binikos and Jutras have built, including their two cocktail bars: Sugar Monk in Harlem, named in part for Thelonious Monk, and Bitter Monk in Brooklyn. 

“My great-great-grandfather, Ilias, made wine and distilled raki (grappa) in Ikaria more than a century ago, so this feels like coming full circle,” says Co-Founder Ektoras Binikos. “Gin and vodka are the backbone of the world’s great classic cocktails, and rare, foraged botanicals give ours an unmistakable Atheras character. Seeing bartenders light up when they taste them has been incredibly humbling, and I can’t wait to see what they create. For people at home, Monks Line opens up a whole new way to explore Atheras Spirits, from a classic martini to the kind of inventive cocktails we pour at Sugar Monk and Bitter Monk.”

Those 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. Others come through partnerships with Indigenous communities in Peru, where Atheras sources its lemongrass (hierba luisa), and with agricultural unions in Europe that supply certified organic botanicals such as genepy from France. Binikos and Jutras also forage in Greece and upstate New York.

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): Distilled three times and charcoal-filtered during its initial run, our vodka completely eliminates any corn undertones for an exceptionally clean taste. It is naturally gluten-free and cut with pure distilled water to deliver a silky-smooth texture.  

• Monks Gin West (40% ABV, $37): 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): 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.

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.

“We wanted the bottles to tell the story before they’re ever opened,” says Co-Founder Simon Jutras. “The monks on our labels carry the same devotion as the people who first turned herbs into remedies: patient, curious, and connected to the land.”

Monks Vodka, Monks Gin West, and Monks Gin East 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. 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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MEDIA CONTACT

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About Atheras Spirits

Founded in 2024 by Ektoras Binikos, Simon Jutras, and Jon Brayshaw, Atheras Spirits is a Brooklyn-based producer of artisanal amari, liqueurs, and bitters, and, with the launch of Monks Line, distilled spirits that blend heritage, creativity, and modern mixology. Inspired by the mountains of Ikaria, Greece, and crafted from wild-foraged botanicals, each expression tells a story, with complete recipes held exclusively by its founders. 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. Atheras embodies the intersection of art, history, music, and alchemy, delivering flavorful, thoughtfully balanced spirits for both cocktails and contemplative sipping.