Greek ingredients are dressing up and revolutionizing the classic typical drinks that everyone has come to know and love. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular innovative fusions of Greek ingredients shaking up the drink scene.
A Greek Twist on a Classic
Cocktails such as the Long Island Ice Tea is popular worldwide. Greece is no exception, however, nowadays many bars on the Greek island of Milos are serving up the classic drink with some local flare.
Bartenders are adding ouzo to the mix to create what they call Makronissos, which means “long island.”
Or try an Ouzo-Peponi Martini, made with fresh melon.
Of course, there are so many variants on ouzo-based drinks, from adding fresh citrus fruits grown in Greece or just a greek olive for complimentary flavors, you can’t go wrong with this Greek classic.
Greek Liqueurs Gaining Popularity Abroad
Also typical Greek liqueur made from the resin of the famous Mastic trees on the Greek island of Chios has become a popular choice for people abroad as they try it for the first time.
The winners of this year’s Mediterranean Cocktail Challenge organized by Greek liqueur-maker Skinos Mastiha Spirit, Nikos Tachmazis and his teammate William Heizel told ekathimerini.com that at Termini bar in London’s Soho district locals are enchanted by the Greek mastiha.
“When customers learn how the liqueur is produced from the mastic trees, they get even more excited about it,” Tachmazis said.
Greek Ingredients Revolutionizing Flavor
However, it doesn’t stop with liqueurs and twists in classic drinks. Greek ingredients are finding their way into drinks up and down the menu.
Constantinos Tsatsiras from Otto located in Athens attested to the interest of Greek ingredients in the modern-day cocktail scene.
“Greek ingredients are quite popular…We use caper leaves from Santorini, Greek olive oil, seaweed, olives from Crete, oregano, sage etc. Personally, I am currently exploring creating a cocktail that will bring something very familiar to mind, like the freshness you feel standing on top of a hill in the sea breeze,” he said.
Other bartenders use typical fruit from various regions of Greece, such as limes, pineapples and bananas from the southern most island of Greece, Crete.
Get Your Greek Drink On
There is a revolution of Greek drinks sweeping the globe. Sweet drinks such as kumquat from Patras to bitter gin-based cocktails using locally grown Greek thyme and Kozani saffron are among the more popular choices in bars.
So next time you are in Greece or abroad where drinks are made with Greek flare, be sure to try out some of the latest trending drinks, using authentic Greek liqueurs, herbs, spices and ingredients for a taste of Greece!
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