There are very few Greek products that have genuinely conquered the world. METAXA is one of them. A unique spirit that defies easy categorisation — not quite brandy, not quite liqueur, but something entirely its own — METAXA has been produced in Greece for over 130 years and is today sold in more than 60 countries. It is one of the great success stories of Greek commerce, and one of the most recognisable Greek brands on earth.
The Founder: Spyros Metaxas
The story of METAXA begins with a man: Spyros Metaxas, born in 1848 in Pyrgos, Peloponnese. A silk merchant by trade, Metaxas was a traveller and a man of the world — he had seen the great spirits of France, the cognacs and armagnacs, and he believed that Greece could produce something equally remarkable from its own extraordinary raw materials.
In 1888, Spyros Metaxas founded his distillery in Piraeus and began producing the spirit that would bear his name. His formula was unlike anything else: a blend of aged wine distillates, Muscat wines from the Greek islands of Samos and Lemnos, and a secret botanical blend that has never been publicly revealed. The result was a spirit of remarkable complexity — smooth, aromatic, and unmistakably Greek.
The Salamina Warrior: An Icon Is Born
From the very beginning, METAXA understood the power of image. The brand's most enduring symbol is the Salamina Warrior — a figure based on a coin discovered near the site of the Battle of Salamis, the great naval victory of 480 BCE in which the Greek fleet, under Themistocles, defeated the Persian armada of Xerxes. It was one of the defining moments of Western civilisation.
By placing this warrior at the heart of its identity, METAXA connected itself to the deepest roots of Greek history and pride. The message was clear: this was not just a spirit. It was a piece of Greece.
The vintage METAXA advertising posters of the mid-20th century — bold, colourful, confident — carried this warrior image across the world. They are masterpieces of mid-century commercial art, as striking today as they were when first printed.
The Stars: A Language of Quality
METAXA developed a unique system for indicating the age and complexity of its spirit: stars. The more stars, the longer the ageing and the greater the complexity. The range runs from 3 Stars — the classic, accessible expression — through 5 Stars and 7 Stars, to the rare and extraordinary 12 Stars and the ultra-premium AEN, aged for a minimum of 30 years.
This star system became one of the most recognisable quality indicators in the spirits world, and it gave METAXA a clarity of communication that helped it succeed in markets far beyond Greece.
METAXA Goes to War — and Wins
METAXA's international reputation was cemented, improbably, by war. During World War I, METAXA was supplied to Allied troops as a medicinal spirit — its warming, aromatic qualities made it popular with soldiers from Britain, France, and beyond. When the war ended, those soldiers went home with a taste for the Greek spirit, and demand followed.
By the mid-20th century, METAXA was being exported across Europe, to the United States, and to Greek diaspora communities around the world. It became the spirit of choice at Greek celebrations — weddings, name days, Easter — and a symbol of Greek hospitality wherever Greeks had settled.
The Golden Age of METAXA Advertising
The 1950s and 1960s were the golden age of METAXA's visual identity. The brand's advertising from this period — rich with deep reds and golds, the Salamina Warrior in proud profile, the star ratings displayed with confidence — is some of the finest commercial art produced in Greece in the 20th century.
These posters appeared in cafes, restaurants, and hotels across Greece and beyond. They were designed to project quality, heritage, and Greek pride — and they succeeded magnificently. Today, they are objects of genuine nostalgia and collector's desire.
METAXA Today
METAXA was acquired by the Rémy Cointreau group in 2000, giving it the global distribution network to match its international ambitions. Today it is produced at the METAXA House in Kifissia, Athens, where the Master Blender — a role held for decades by Constantinos Raptis — maintains the secret botanical blend and the quality standards that Spyros Metaxas established in 1888.
More than 130 years after its founding, METAXA remains the most internationally recognised Greek spirit — a genuine ambassador for Greece in every corner of the world.
The METAXA Poster at Morphē Studio
At Morphē Studio, we've captured the spirit of the golden age of METAXA advertising in a high-resolution printable poster — the warmth, the confidence, the deep colours of mid-century Greek commercial art, brought back to life for your walls.
It is the perfect piece for a home bar, a dining room, or anyone who loves Greece, great design, and the stories behind iconic brands.
Shop the METAXA Poster
- METAXA Vintage Advertising Poster — bold, warm, iconic
Available as an instant digital download — high-resolution, 300 DPI, ready to print at any size anywhere in the world.
From Patras, with passion for art and Greek culture. — Morphē Studio