Martini a nod to Hellenic culture Blue Curacao gives azure drink its kick

TORONTO – Costa Kosilos was asked this spring to “capture the essence of Greece” in a martini glass. Organizers of Toronto’s 11th annual Greek festival were partying at Myth restaurant where he tends bar. The slightly dry, sweet martini took off ahead of the Hellenic celebration, which was held Aug. 6-8. The festival drew more than 1 million visitors during its three-day run, according to local newspapers.

“The Danforth,” a Greek neighborhood in Toronto’s East End, is a five-block strip of Greek restaurants, bakeries and shops with an occasional Thai or Cuban restaurant along Danforth Avenue. The annual Greek festival is called “The Taste of Danforth.”

“The president of Danforth loved it,” says Costa, referring to the Blue Martini. And demand for the striking drink continued after the festival and into the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Blue Martini fans are easily spotted, even in subdued lighting, by the tantalizing azure color of the drink.

“It’s great for a crowd that aren’t big drinkers,” the 24-year-old bartender said.

Born in Toronto, Costa says The Danforth is a close-knit enclave where many of the trendy nightspots and Old World Greek restaurants are run by Greek families.

“We yell to our neighbors and bring coffees to each other,” he related.

Greek festivals have become popular nationwide in the United States. In August and September, alone, 43 Greek festivals are scheduled. But nowhere in North America do they attract the numbers as in Toronto, which boasts the largest Greek population in Canada, numbering more than 85,000.

On the second day of “The Taste of Danforth,” which organizers say is the largest Greek festival outside of Athens, the restaurant was packed as the souvlaki and kebab stands were outside. A slender young belly dancer in jeans performed to live Greek fusion music. At the bar, the Blue Martinis flowed. The popular drink looked like seawater scooped up from the Aegean Sea.

To find out about Greek festivals in New England, visit www.greek-fest.com/greekfest.shtml. Rachel Ellner can be reached at ellner@bu.edu.