Drinks with Anna

Opa or Yamas! Greek Cocktail Culture

by Anna Tusa

THE SUMMER OF TUSA TRAVELS has begun, and I was excited to spend Memorial Day in Greece, where I was eager to immerse myself in the Greek cocktail culture. All you hear about is Ouzo in the States, but I wanted to dig deeper into the culture and discover what the locals drink. In Greece, locals drink Ouzo over ice in a highball glass, but the mastika is the local drink of choice.

On many of the Greek islands, cocktails are made with a distilled spirit called mastika or matiha. Mastika has an herbal, botanical, and piney taste. Drinking it neat tasted like a shot of Pine Sol. The mastika is liqueur seasoned with mastic, a resin with a slight pine or cedar flavor that is gathered from the mastic tree found in the Mediterranean region. The mastic is made into a sweet liqueur produced on the island of Chios and used as a digestif or in craft cocktails. The mastika is presented to guests upon arrival at resorts and offered as a gesture of friendship after dinner, serving as a complimentary digestif from restaurant owners. Yamas! Not really my cup of tea neat, but mixed with other spirits and mixers, it made delicious cocktails. The Seza Cocktail, made of mastika, gin, fresh lemonade, soda, and mint, is one example that is quite tasty.

In Naxos, I was able to try another Greek liqueur called kitron (Citron). I visited Kitpon Vallindras to learn about the Kitron Naeoy – a famous distillery that produces the kitron. Kitron is a lemon liqueur that is made from the fruit and leaves of the kitron tree. The kitron fruit is very large and oddly shaped, not like a lemon or citrus tree, one would find growing in Plaquemines Parish. The distillery was interesting, as we were able to view the tools and machines used for distilling back in the day.

There are three varieties of kitron: green (60 proof), yellow (70 proof), the strongest and east sugary, and a clear, which is somewhere in between, best for a firsttimer. Established in 1896, the distillery is now mainly used as a museum and kitron tasting room. My favorite part and the most educational was the tasting of all the different kitron.

Now on to Ouzo, the Greek national spirit, a clearcolored liqueur made from grape must (unfermented juice remnants) with a very strong anise taste. Along with anise, ouzo may contain other spices like fennel, cinnamon, or cardamon. There are approximately 300 ouzo producers in Greece today. Many Greeks drink it over ice or in a tall, slim glass so they can add as much water as they like. Ouzo culture is very different from that of America. We are taught it should be consumed neat, and after dinner. It was nice to learn to appreciate a new way to savor the flavors of the Ouzo over ice.

All along the Greek Islands, plenty of vineyards and delicious wines are produced in each area. It was easy to start a winetasting journey with any meal. I really enjoyed the Assyrtiko from Santorini and the Xinomavro from Naoussa. When visiting Santorini, you can easily spend a day going from vineyard to vineyard. By the way, you can’t go wrong with the house wine at any restaurant or café. They are easy to drink and pair well with everything. Another great thing about Greek wines is that they are very inexpensive.

Finally, a few insights into the Greek cocktail scene, which was a delightful mix of popular cocktails from the 90s, such as Kamikaze, Sex on the Beach, and Mai Tais. My first cocktail was at our hotel rooftop bar overlooking the Acropolis. This treat was a version of a Spritz called the Acropolis Spritz, made from Hayman peach and rose gin, rue berry, pink grapefruit cordial, sparkling wine, grapefruit soda, and bitters. This refreshing and light cocktail, with a low ABV, was the perfect start to my exploration of the streets of Athens, ready to take in all the local flavors.

In Mykonos, I savored the Greek Spirit (a Greek mojito riff) made of the aforementioned Mastiha and ouzo, with mint leaves and lime juice. Topped with grapefruit soda, this cocktail was not only refreshing but also easy to drink, capturing the moment of a beautiful Mykonian sunset.

Another favorite was the Metropolis Exotic Punch, a concoction of a rum blend of Flora de Cana Centenario 12, Don Papa Masskara, coconut liqueur, yuzu syrup, passion fruit, pineapple, lime and bitters.

The Greeks are serious about cocktail preparation and presentation, a lesson that many bars need to revisit. All the cocktails looked as good as they tasted.

So I leave you with Opa or Yamas(Cheers)!