Ouzo
The Spirit of
by Vassilis Gialamarakis
Everyone who has been on holiday to
Ouzo is related to good company and delicious Greek food in a local Kafeneion with a few karafakia of good Ouzo. But very few really know how this aperitif is really made.
Ouzo is a drink exclusively Greek
The word ouzo cannot be translated and the most popular theory suggests that it came from the Italian words “uso a Marsilla” written on the casks of good Greek Tsipouro exported to
A Turk called Anastas Bey in a Turnavos cafe was drinking a Tsipouro that was so good that he insisted that it was uso a Marcilla. The word Ouzo stayed from then on.
The distillation process originally came from
Country people were wise enough not to waste anything and used these leftovers. They put them in large containers to ferment from September to around November and then distilled them in small copper distillers and produced Tsipouro or Raki which is found now in every house and village Kafeneion.
Ouzo is the evolution of that process but is very different from Tsipuro.
It can contain herbs like aniseed (Pimpinella anisum), licorice, fennel (Foeniculum vulgare miller), cardamom, mastic, cinnamon, ginger, corn, coriander, cloves, mint or any mixture of the above.
The main difference between Ouzo and other aniseed containing aperitifs is in the method Ouzo gets its aroma.
In most other drinks they first extract the aromas from the seeds and then add it to the drink but in the case of Ouzo the plants seeds are being distilled with the dilution of alcohol and water.
Here is the myth: Most people believe or like to believe, that Ouzo is still derived from grapes but this is not true. Good Ouzo is made from the distillation of a mixture of ethyl alcohol, water and the secret mixture of herbs that each Ouzo making family has from their forefathers. This ethyl alcohol is made on an industrial scale by one or two large distillers in
Today, very few know that the ethyl alcohol used to make Ouzo is 97% clear and that means is of excellent quality. Ethyl alcohol derived from sugar cane diluted slowly in soft water is very close to Rum. But Ouzo is more than that.
In a large hand made copper pot the mixture with herbs stays for hours and then is distilled slowly and with great care testing it constantly.
The success of the Ouzo depends on so many factors like the shape and size of the copper distiller, the recipe used, the ease of the process (that is the speed of distillation) the quality of water used and many more.
Today, there are about 200 Ouzo makers left in
Also widely known are Ouzo 12, Ouzo MINI from Mitilene, Ouzo Babatzim from
Myths and reality around Ouzo
Good Ouzo is very aromatic and very strong (according to legislation ouzo must be at least 37.5 vol) what the Greeks call a heavy taste.
Today the most popular Ouzo in
But again Ouzo is a personal choice which one derives after drinking many different brands and deciding for themselves.
The art of drinking Ouzo
Of course there is an art in drinking Ouzo. The most famous Greek aperitif is
Enjoyed not straight but diluted with water. How much? As much as you like.
When you put water into Ouzo it turns cloudy. Here is why:
Anise oil and other essential oils dissolve and become invisible when mixed with conventional alcohol content, but as soon as the alcohol content is reduced, the essential oils transform into white crystals, which you cannot see through.
Ouzo is famous for the hangover it causes but why is that?
Simply because the people drink far too much of it quickly without watering it down.
What causes the hangover is not the alcohol but the essential oils that are hard for the body to break down and get rid of.
The secret of safe Ouzo drinking is what the Greeks do. It must be accompanied with the famous Greek Mezes and enjoyed slowly making sure that water is added. Mezes is nothing else but nibbles like Cretan rusk, olives, tomato, sardines, cucumber, Feta, pastrami, hard boiled egg, shrimp, and much more.
How is it served
Traditionally ouzo is served in a narrow and high glass and always accompanied with a glass of water and ice always with a plate of Mezedes.
What we do at the Mistral?
We exclusively use Ouzo Faros (lighthouse in Greek) Manolakakis who is our next door neighbour in Chania and kindly provided us with all the inside information about this wonderful unique drink that is synonymous to
The two brothers Giorgos and Eutixis are the fourth!!! generation Ouzo makers and their trade mark Faros goes back to 1884.
Giorgos is a chemist and in charge of the distillation in the large very old copper distiller (see photo).
The two brothers also make their own brandy and many liqueurs.
A visit to their distillery in Chania is worth the effort for an Ouzo tasting and can be arranged.
Ouzo used in cooking
At the Mistral we put some in Tzatziki for flavour and aroma.
It can be used very well in many seafood sauces and in the famous Greek Keftedakia Ouzomezes. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients: Half a kilo of beef minced meat
A quarter of a kilo bread white (not the core) wet it gently.
2 eggs
2 onions finely chopped
3 slices of garlic finely chopped
bit of flour
half a cup of ouzo
salt, pepper, oregano
Drain the wet bread and mix it all well for a while until we have a solid mixture.
Leave for a while to marinate then make small balls of it put in flour and shallow fry.
Serve hot and enjoy it with your Ouzo of course.
