Greek Spirits in a Bottle

 

 

You can’t mention Greece and wine in the same sentence without Dionysus (Bacchus), Greek god of wine-making, festivity, insanity and ritual madness, rearing his decadent head.

“The Dionysia” festivals, dating back to the fifth century BC, dedicated to Dionysus were crazy parties with drunken revelry, and wild music.

Thousands of people from all over ancient Greece made their way to Athens for these events, literally “Let it all hang out” days of wine, women and song.

 

 

As much as the followers of Dionysus loved their wine and the fact that Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing countries in the world, Greek wines are not as well known as the Greek spirits.

Ask anyone in the world where ouzo comes from and you’ll most likely have the correct answer in seconds.

As with ouzo all these strong Greek spirits are consumed either neat, with ice, or a little water.

They are almost always accompanied by mouth-watering “mezedes”, Greek appetizers such as olives, salads, tzatziki, cheese, taramosalata, octopus, saganaki, pastourmas, beans and sardines and are always salty; salt they say encourages the knocking back of more alcohol!

 

 

All over Greece you will come across small bars called ouzeris and tsipouradika, self-explanatory really; Greek spirits and “mezedes”.

And a good time was had by all.

Imagine if these powerful spirits in a bottle existed back in the days of Dionysus; Decadence times ten!!

 Below are some of the most well-known Greek spirits, all variations on a theme and all to be consumed in moderation, you’ve been warned!

 

Ouzo

Legendary Greek vodka

 

 

Ouzo, the national drink of Greece, is a clear, anise-flavored aperitif with a taste similar to pastis and sambuca.

Ouzo can be traced back to the tsipouro distilled by the 14th-century monks on Mount Athos, who flavoured one version with anise, the version we now know today as ouzo, the version without anise is tsipouro (I’ll get to that in a minute).

Ouzo is made by distilling the grape skins and stalks left over after wine-making in copper stills of 96% alcohol which are then flavoured with anise.

 

 

Sometimes other local herbs such as fennel, cardamom, coriander, cloves, and cinnamon are added but exactly which are closely guarded secrets!

The first ouzo distillery was founded in Tyrnavos (south-southwest of Thessaloniki) in 1856 however today the best ouzo is made on the islands of Lesvos and Chios.

Fifty percent of Greece’s ouzo is produced in the seventeen ouzo distilleries on the island of Lesvos.

The top-selling brand of ouzo is Isidoros Arvanitis made in Plomari in Lesvos.

 

 

Ouzo is usually served with Greek “mezedes” (a selection of appetizers served on small plates) and fish dishes.

When ice is added or it’s mixed with water ouzo takes on a cloudy white colour.

Whichever way you drink it take it easy!

Ouzo has high alcohol content.

Ouzo is now protected by the European law and can only be produced in Greece.

 

Tsipouro

 

 

Tsipouro, like ouzo, is another anise-flavored, strong distilled spirit and again as with ouzo is made from the vines and grape skins leftover after wine-making.

Apostagma, is a superior type of Tsipouro made from the whole grape.

 

 

A barrel-aged Tsipouro, which is not very common, tastes, so I’m told, very much like whisky.

Most Greeks keep in the freezer and drink it neat with ice or add a little water.

Again as with ouzo, Tsipouro is usually served up with a selection of “mezedes” (appetizers).

 

Tsikoudia

The Spirit of Crete

 

 

In Balkan countries, the spirit produced by distilling fruits, mainly grapes, is called “rakia” and in Greece and Turkey “rakı”.

These names come from the Arabic word “arak” (ﻋﺮﻕ), meaning “sweat”.

In Greece Tsikoudia and tsipouro have their roots in raki, a trademark patented by the Turks so you won’t find any official trade mark “raki” on a bottle of Greek “sweat”!

Instead the bottle will be labeled “tsikoudia”.

It’s rather like the Tsipouro, an anise-flavored, strong spirit and again made from the vines and grape skins leftover after wine-making.

Tsipouro is often referred to as Raki, which was produced in Greece during the years of the Turkish occupation (1645-1897.

 In 1920, when Crete became part of the Greek state, the government allowed the Cretans to produce distilled alcoholic drinks.

Typically today you’ll find in any each Cretan village one or two residents with a license are to distill tsikoudia.

More often than not though it’s produced in the villager’s homes, not taxed, not controlled and is generally only for local consumption.

 

 

Officially this “moonshine” tsikoudia is non-existent in Crete.

Even though homemade the quality of this tsikoudia is extremely high…and extremely potent!

As it’s mainly home produced the strength and flavor can differ greatly.

Tsiopouro, tsikoudia or raki, basically all the same drink, is sometimes flavored with lemon rind, rosemary, or honey.

Honey-flavoured raki is called rakomelo and on the island of Crete is considered to be a woman’s drink and costs twice as much as tsikoudia.

 

Mastica

 

 

Mastica has a very distinct flavour derived from the resin of the small evergreen tree mastica trees called Schinias which grow abundantly on the island of Chios.

Although the Schinias tree is found in other Mediterranean countries it only produces resin on Chios, presumably because of the island’s unique microclimate.

The resin, the first natural chewing gum in the world, which has been harvested in Greece for at least 2,500 years, dries into brittle, translucent droplets on the tree trunks, resembling tears, hence the phrase “Tears of Chios”.

 

 

When chewed, the resin softens and at first has a bitter taste, however, the more you chew, the more the bitterness becomes a fresh, pine flavour.

The resin is collected from the trees by scoring a deep narrow channel in the bark and tying a collecting pot at the bottom of the channel.

Mastic is used as flavouring for many sweets but is most famously known for Mastica, the digestive liquor from Chios.

The “resin tears” are mixed with sugar and distilled to make a liqueur that tastes of fresh pine and herbs.

Since ancient times, Mastica has been produced on the southern part of the island of Chios in a series of villages referred to as the “Mastichiades villages”.

 Mastica was first mentioned in the 1st century BC in the Orpheus’ Hymn and is said to have been much favored by Hippocrates, who believed that the drink contained special properties for aiding digestion and soothing stomach ulcers.

A bottle of Mastica should be stored in the freezer and served really chilled in a small glass at the end of a meal.

 

Metaxa

The Greek Brandy

 

 

“Metaxa” a strong (alcohol content 38%) unique alcoholic drink of the Greeks was created in 1888 by the Metaxas brothers.

This popular Greek spirit is a blend of brandy and Muscat wine from the islands of Samos and Lemnos, which is aged in handmade French oak barrels for at least three years, before being flavored with a secret blend of herbs, which includes rose petals and distilled water.

Metaxa, since day one, was always considered as the Greek brandy that is until “the experts” defined what brandy really was and it they were adamant that it didn’t contain wine.

So, suddenly, as Metaxa does contain wine, it was no longer classed as brandy.

The company faced a dilemma; were they to forget the wine and change the recipe in order to remain a brandy or hang on to the profitable recipe?

They stuck with what they knew was a winner meaning that now Metaxa is in a category all of its own, simply a strong, dark-coloured spirit.

 

 

It’s still known by most though as the Metaxa, the famous Greek brandy!

Metaxa is available in five grades, the stars shown on the label correspond to a year of aging; “Three-star” (at least three years old), “five-star” (at least five years old), “seven-star” (at least seven years old), 12-star (at least 12 years old) and Private Reserve which is over 30 years old.

Metaxa was first exported to the United States in 1900; today it is exported to over 60 countries and is among the 100 most popular drinks worldwide.

Since 1989 the brand no longer belongs to the Metaxas family, while since 2000 it has been a member of the Remy Cointreau Company.

 

Retsina

 

 

Retsina, a white or rosé (rarely red) resinated wine, has been produced in Greece for at least 2,000 years.

 Its unique flavor, an “acquired taste”, originated from the times before the invention of glass bottles, when wine vessels such as amphorae, were sealed with Aleppo pine resin.

As oxygen was known to spoil many wines in a short space of time pine resin helped keep the air out while at the same time keeping that signature resin aroma well and truly locked in!

If you read various accounts written in days gone by, for example by the first-century Roman writer Columella, who recommended that “the very best wines should not be mixed with resin because of the unpleasant flavor” or from Pilgrims visiting the Holy Land during the Middle Ages, one of whom stated of the wines of the Peloponnese; “everything was pleasing, except the strong, resinated wine with an unpleasant odour”, you would never want to try the stuff!

The rough flavor was even said to put off the Romans, who refused to drink the bitter concoction.

 

 

Today most retsina production centers around Attica, Boeotia and Euboea and is made following the same modern winemaking techniques of white or rosé wine, except that small pieces of Aleppo pine resin are added to the must during fermentation and later removed from the finished wine.

Much more palatable than of old, retsina is the perfect wine to drink with strong-tasting local cuisine such as pastourma (various air-dried cured meats) or garlic dips

 

The Lesser known Spirits

 

 

Most Greek islands have their own deliciously flavoured versions of ouzo and tsipouro, most of them much, much stronger too, so, proceed with caution!

Souma is the Dodecanese alternative of ouzo or tsipouro, on the island of Chios it’s made from sun-dried and fermented figs whilst on the island of Rhodes it’s made from grape pomace and wine.

Mournoraki is a Cretan spirit, not easy to come by, extremely potent and made from black mulberries.

Koukouzina from the island of Nisyros is a drink distilled from grapes and figs.

Kitron, from the island of Naxos is made from the leaves of the kitron tree, similar to the lemon tree stronger and slightly different in taste.

There are three different types of Kitron; the green type, the sweetest and with the lowest alcohol content, the colourless, which is medium strength and the golden-colored Kitron with the lowest amount of sugar but with the highest  amount of alcohol (40%).

Popular during the early 1980s, Koukouzina today is difficult to find outside of Naxos owing to a shortage of citron trees.

I’m sure there are many more intoxicating Greek potions I’ve not mentioned here but for the time being get your shot glasses, your ice and water at the ready, take a deep breath, open your Greek spirit of choice and…

 “Aspro pato”; bottoms up!