Greek vodka: name, types, photo

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Greece is associated with a wine-producing country. But the product of the vine is not only light alcoholic drinks. Since mankind invented the alembic, crayfish have appeared. Many consider this type of distillate to be the national Turkish drink. But it's not. In fact, in the Ottoman Empire, alcohol, especially strong alcohol, was allowed to be consumed only by giaurs - non-Muslims. But there are drinkers everywhere, and therefore Greek vodka came to the court of the conquerors. The name began to sound like "crayfish". And in Azerbaijan they began to make their own analogue - arak. The Slavs also got acquainted with this vodka. Balkan brandy is also the younger sister of Greek vodka. And what other types of strong alcohol exist in Hellas? Our article will be devoted to this issue. We will tell you not only about raki, but also such interesting drinks as ouzo, mastic, tsipouro and others.

Poverty is not a vice, but an impetus for inventions

Unlike the Nordic countries, where distillates were originally made from grains, Greek vodka is a by-product of winemaking. When the berries were crushed and received the precious must, pomace remained. What to do with pulp? It was usually thrown into the vineyards,and the rotting pomace became manure for the vines. But if a person is poor, he will not just throw something away like that. Sugar, water were added to the cake and left to ferment again. After that, distillation was carried out and wine spirits were obtained. The drink began to be called "raki" much later. The etymology of the distillate is rooted in Arabic. “Arak” in translation means “sweat”, which is understandable to anyone who has ever seen a moonshine still in their life. But still, grape vodka from Greece is very different in taste from Italian grappa, although both the raw materials and the technology for preparing the two drinks are approximately the same.

His Majesty anise

There are two kinds of plants in the world, not at all related, but bearing fruits with the same smell. Star anise is an evergreen shrub native to East Asia. Its fruits look like brown stars, and in each ray of it a grain is hidden. And anise, which is common in Europe, is an herb that belongs to the umbrella family. The aromatic essential oil anethole is related to two types of plants. It is found in excess in the fruits of both anise and star anise. However, the Greeks call their grass, the fragrant properties of which were noticed back in ancient times, glikanisos, which means "sweet anise". This seasoning was also used by other peoples. In Egypt, for example, the grass was part of the ointments for the mummification of the dead. Greek anise vodka has a prototype - "Wine of Hippocrates". It was drunk as a cure for many ailments. Hippocrates was the first to infuse wine with anise.

Greek Raki vodka

It is believed that this is the national Turkish drink. But until the liberal reforms of the nineteenth century, Muslims did not even dare to think about the production of distillates. This was done by the Greeks on the territory of the Ottoman Empire, less often by people from the Balkans. Raki became popular in Turkey thanks to Kemal Atatürk, who really liked this drink. Anise vodka should be drunk diluted. Usually a mixture is made from one part of raki and two to three parts of mineral water. When diluted with water, the solution instantly turns white and becomes like milk. This is because the essential anise oil comes out of the alcohol and an emulsion is formed. It is because of the white opaque color that the Turkish raki drink (but actually the Greek raki vodka) has the poetic name "lion's milk". The strength of this drink varies from forty to fifty degrees. When undiluted, raki has a very strong aniseed smell and a pungent, pungent taste.

Greek vodka Ouzo

At first glance it seems that the national drink ouzo is the same raki, only softer. But it's not. The production technology is completely different. Grape spirits in ouzo are not more than thirty percent. But that's not all. High-quality Greek ouzo vodka, in addition to anise, also contains a number of spices. These are coriander, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, star anise and fennel. Aromatic spices are first infused with pure grape spirit. Then it is distilled through a copper distiller, separating the front and end parts. middle one againcleaned, and then diluted with soft lime water to a fortress of thirty-seven and a half degrees. The etymology of the name of this very old vodka is interesting. In the town of Tyrnavos, in Thessaly, the local population cultivated silkworm cocoons for export to France. Then this part of Greece was owned by Italy. Therefore, boxes with cocoons were marked with the inscription Uso a Marsiglia (it. "Use in Marseille") before being sent across the sea. Local farmers did not know the meaning of these words, but this phrase was for them the standard of the highest quality. Therefore, when visiting people asked what kind of vodka this was, they answered - ouzo.

Tsipouro

The first mention of this distillate is found in the monastery books of Athos at the end of the sixteenth century. Tsipouro is made by distilling grape pomace. After that, various spices are added to the spirits - cloves or cinnamon. Further, the alcohol content in the drink is increased to 40-45 degrees. In Macedonia and Thessaly, anise is added to tsipouro, and there the drink resembles ouzo. Crete has its own national Greek vodka. What is the name of the drink there? Rakomelo. But in this vodka there is not a trace of anise, but only viscous honey. Tsipuro is drunk undiluted from small glasses. The drink is served with snacks (dried tomatoes, spicy sausages and cheeses), as well as desserts (halva, nuts, raisins).

Mastic

Familiar word, right? Translated, it means "to chew with gnashing of teeth." And all because Greek mastic vodka is infused with the roots of the chios tree. When alcohols derived fromgrape cake, are driven through this vegetable raw material, they are enriched with essential resins. Mastic has a very specific taste and smell. Drink this vodka necessarily with the addition of ice. When the cubes are immersed, the resin dissolved in alcohol comes out of the chemical compound, and the drink becomes opaque, white, like milk. There are two types of mastic in Greece: vodka and sweet liquor.