Black and white photo of a glamorous woman with curly hair holding a cigarette, surrounded by multiple hands offering lighters. A small orange semi-circle adds a modern artistic touch in the bottom left corner.

Take Five.

While Dave Brubeck’s Take Five plays, a confident woman in a green silk dress orders a Negroni, instantly captivating the bartender. Their charged encounter moves outside over a hand-rolled cigarette, where tension and chemistry build. She leaves him with her lighter and a message, shifting the energy of his night—and possibly his life—in just five minutes.

Stefanos Oungrinis

Jun 12 min read

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Take Five.

Jun 12 min read

Black and white blurred photo of a woman dancing with long dark hair and raised arms, creating a sense of motion and freedom. A dark red semi-circle floats near her head, adding abstract, artistic contrast to the minimalist white background.

Loce Control.

A blurred image captures a woman in motion, her dark hair flowing as she dances with raised arms. The black-and-white minimalism emphasizes freedom and fluidity, while a dark red semi-circle adds abstract contrast, evoking emotion, mystery, and artistic expression.

Apr 182 min read

Free.

A woman born to move surrenders to the rhythm of the night. She dances like fire—alive, unpredictable, and free. As exhaustion edges in, she pauses briefly at the bar, grounding herself with a Negroni and water. The music calls her back, and she dives once more into the pulse, finding fleeting freedom in each beat. Her movement isn’t just dance—it’s survival, release, and a fragile, beautiful act of being fully alive.

Apr 22 min read

Black and white photo of a woman in a flowing dress carrying a large bundle of flowers that obscures her face, creating a whimsical, artistic, and mysterious scene. A small yellow semi-circle adds a modern abstract accent.

Yellow.

At the bar, she sat watching her Negroni, radiating mystery. Gossip swirled around her silent presence. Driven by curiosity, I dared to ask her favorite color and song. She remained still, letting the tension build. As we closed, she boldly declared she was waiting for me, sparking drama. Pulling me close, she whispered her answer: “It’s yellow, both the color and the song.”

Feb 102 min read

A stylish woman with voluminous wavy hair sits at an outdoor café, resting her face on one hand with a calm, confident expression. She wears a dark, buttoned blazer and gazes slightly off-camera. The image is in black and white, with a single red semicircle detail near her elbow adding a bold contrast.

Silent rebellion.

Set in a world of polished surfaces and rehearsed roles, a woman quietly reclaims her voice. After years of silence at her husband's side—his choices, his rituals—she breaks the pattern with a single, deliberate act: ordering for herself. A lamb dish. A Negroni. Simple words that carry the weight of liberation. This isn’t a rebellion in flames, but in quiet defiance. A reminder that sometimes the most radical thing a person can do is choose for themselves.

Jan 163 min read

Black and white photo of a coastal Greek town with historic buildings on a hillside, a stone pathway along the waterfront, and a small dock with people. A dark red semi-circle adds a modern artistic accent in the lower left corner. Syros island.

Syros.

In stillness, surrounded by simple routines, he reflects on the peace found in slowing down. With Leo the cat, a lazy rooster, and quiet moments, he learns that peace isn’t earned—it arrives quietly. A Negroni, fresh tomatoes, and sunlight offer enough. The world can wait; for once, stillness feels like wisdom.

Dec 10, 20242 min read

"Reflective late-night monologue about resistance to change, emotional exhaustion, self-discovery, and quiet honesty, with a Negroni moment as a symbol of transition."

Lowdown.

"Reflective late-night monologue about resistance to change, emotional exhaustion, self-discovery, and quiet honesty, with a Negroni moment as a symbol of transition."

Dec 4, 20242 min read

I’ve been in the restaurant industry for almost twenty years — two decades behind the bar, at the table, in the heartbeat of rooms filled with strangers and familiar faces. It’s a revolving door of characters, each carrying their script, dialogue, and silent monologues. I can’t recall all the names, but I vividly remember the emotions — the smiles, the sighs, the cheers, and the stories.

Writing about these stories became my quiet sanctuary, a way to honor and preserve the ephemeral moments that otherwise might have slipped into the forgotten corners of memory. It was always better to write than to let the feeling, the thinking, or the forgetting take over.

The stories kept me anchored. Each night offered a new chapter: fresh faces, unexpected encounters, lives unfolding quietly in front of me—sweet, bitter, and everything in between—perfectly balanced, like a Negroni.

These stories became part of me. Part of us. They’re worth sharing — not because they are perfect, but because they are true.

Cheers to all of it.

FOLLOW ME

The Negroni was invented in 1919 in Florence, Italy. Legend credits Count Camillo Negroni, who asked his bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen his usual Americano by replacing the soda water with gin.a perfectly balanced, bittersweet cocktail that became an instant classic—equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth— The result was and a timeless symbol of Italian aperitivo culture. #negronistories #negroni #cocktail #best50bars #dolcevita

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STORY OF THE MONTH

Ciao, amici dei cocktail. Today we’re looking at the history of the Negroni, and maybe I’ll accuse you of being lazy by always making it with equal parts of its three ingredients. We’ll start before the Negroni was even conceived with two of its predecessors, then we’ll move on to Negroni’s creation and we’ll look at where it sits today - as the Italians would proudly say, Numero Uno. But let’s start at the beginning.

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Take Five.

FEATURED STORY

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STORIES WORTH SHARING

Take Five.

Loce Control.

Free.

Yellow.

Silent rebellion.

Syros.

Lowdown.

ABOUT ME

FOLLOW ME

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STORY OF THE MONTH

Take Five.

FEATURED STORY

Never Miss a New Post.

STORIES WORTH SHARING

Take Five.

Loce Control.

Free.

Yellow.

Silent rebellion.

Syros.

Lowdown.

ABOUT ME

FOLLOW ME

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SUBSCRIBE

STORY OF THE MONTH