Recipe: Mastiha Sour

Mastiha is Greek liqueur. It’s produced using sap from the mastic tree, a plant that’s native to the Greek island of Chios. Like all these botanicals, mastic has been used for medicinal purposes since Ancient Greece and as an ingredient in booze.

I tried Mastiha for the first time at Hellenic Republic. The Greek God serving my table recommendation it as a digestif, served straight at room temperature at the end of our meal or with dessert. It was a welcome extra tipple to round off the experience.

As I left the restaurant, I insisted I must have some for home. My Greek friend graciously volunteered and delivered a bottle of Skinos, which is apparently the Greek brand of choice.

There was no time to spare as I excitedly cracked open my bottle. I couldn’t wait to taste it again as I remembered it being one of the most unusual and delicious flavours of alcohol I’d ever tried.

Well it must’ve been all the ouzo that came beforehand or the Godly distractions because my subsequent experience was nothing like the first. The Mastiha tasted sickly sweet and just like bubblegum.

Since then I haven’t been able to drink it straight as recommended, so I’ve been playing around with cocktail recipes, adding plenty of lemon of course, because nothing’s truly Greek without it.

Hump Day Happy Hour

Ingredients

• 60 ml Mistiha
• 20 ml pink grapefruit juice
• 15 ml lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• Garnish: finely grated pink grapefruit zest

Method

Add ingredients to shaker and seal tightly. Dry shake (no ice) to activate egg white. Add ice cubes and shake again for a few seconds to chill. Strain into glass. Garnish and serve.

Yiamas!