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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/537558
www.cheersonline.com 28 • July/August 2015 made from pomace (the skins, seeds and stems leftover from the winemaking process), similar to Italy's grappa. Much of the production comes from Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, the Mani Peninsula and the island of Crete. The clear tsipouro weighs in at 40% to 45% ABV. It is sometimes fl avored with anise, and some versions are barrel aged. Mastiha, also called mastika, is a liqueur seasoned with mastic, a resin gathered from the mastic tree. The small evergreen tree is native to the Mediterranean region and traditionally grown on the island of Chios. It's a clear liquid that turns milky when mixed with water. "My fi rst encounter with tsipouro was as a little eight-year- old at a family dinner, when I downed it thinking it was water," recalls Stamatis Dimakis, bar manager/partner at Death Ave Estiatorio & Zythopoieio in New York. "Mastiha is unique, with amazing fl oral and grassy notes. When people taste mastiha, it blows their minds because it's unlike anything they've ever tried before." Tsipouro, like a brandy, is generally enjoyed neat or on the rocks, according to Dimakis. But he has created a cocktail called the Ink Bomb, which tints tsipouro with squid ink and mixes it with fresh lime juice. "The drink looks dramatic, and the ink gives it a salty fi nish," he says. Mastiha is traditionally consumed after a meal as a palate cleanser or as a dessert cordial. For the summer, Dimakis plans to create a Greek Mojito with the spirit: "Mastiha upgrades the Mojito to something special." More familiar to Americans is ouzo, the anise-fl avored Greek aperitif. At Death Ave, ouzo spikes strong Greek coffee, and Dimakis is concocting a watermelon-ouzo cocktail for summer. "When I am behind the bar, my Greek accent really helps sell these drinks," jokes Dimakis, who concedes the spirits do require a bit of explanation. And he believes incorporating them into cocktails is a good way to introduce the unfamiliar liqueurs. GUN BAE (CHEERS!), KOREA: SOJU Soju is a Korean national tradition. The low-alcohol (18% to 24%) spirit is fermented and distilled from rice as well as wheat, barley and sweet potato. Soju is similar to Japan's shochu. "Soju is one of the most underrated drinks out there," says An Vo, owner of Dosi Restaurant and Soju Bar in Houston. "Soju's popularity is picking up; it could be as popular as vodka." Dosi offers a number of soju-based cocktails ($12), such as Mai Korean Girl, made with orange- and pineapple-infused soju, cherry syrup and orange juice; and the Lychee-Berry Margarita, mixing raspberry-infused soju with lychee milk and fresh lime and lemon juices. But most popular, Vo says, are the Sampler Shots ($12). Customers can choose any four house-infused soju fl avors from as many as a dozen variations; a 700-ml. carafe of blended soju is priced at $20. The drinks menu also lists 375-ml. bottles of Chamisul classic soju and Chamisul fresh soju ($14 each). Lebanese Taverna's Arak 75, a riff on the sparkling wine cocktail made with arak, jallab syrup and cardamom bitters. Lebanese Taverna, headquartered in Arlington, VA, uses the aniseed-fl avored spirit arak in several takes on classic cocktails.