Greece is associated with a wine country. But the product of the vine is not only light alcoholic drinks. Since mankind invented the distillation cube, cancer has appeared. Many consider this type of distillate a national Turkish drink. But this is not so. In fact, in the Ottoman Empire, alcohol, all the more strong, was allowed to be consumed only by giaurs - not Muslims. But there are lovers of drink 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 counterpart - arak. Acquainted with this vodka and the Slavs. Balkan rakiya is also the younger sister of Greek vodka. And what other types of strong alcohol exist in Hellas? This article will be devoted to our article. We will tell not only about crayfish, but also such interesting drinks as ouzo, mastic, tsipuro and others.
Poverty is not a vice, but a push for inventions
Unlike the northern countries, where distillates were originally produced from cereals, Greek vodka is a by-product of winemaking. When the berries were crushed and received a precious wort, there were squeezes left. What to do with the cake? Usually it was thrown into the vineyards, and the rotting marc became a fertilizer 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 performed and wine alcohols were obtained . The drink was called "crayfish" much later. The etymology of the distillate is rooted in Arabic. “Arak” in translation means “sweat”, which is clear 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 the raw materials and the technology for preparing two drinks are approximately the same.
His Majesty Anis
There are two types of plants in the world that are not at all related, but bear fruit with the same smell. Star anise is an evergreen shrub that grows in East Asia. Its fruits are like brown stars, and in every ray of it a grain is hidden. And anise, which is common in Europe, is an herb belonging to the umbrella family. Anethol aromatic essential oil is related to two types of plants. It is found in abundance in the fruits of both anise and star anise. However, the Greeks call their grass, whose fragrant properties were noticed in ancient times, glycanisos, which means "sweet anise." This seasoning was used by other nations. In Egypt, for example, grass was part of ointments for the mummification of the dead. Greek anisic vodka has a prototype - “Hippocrates wine”. He was drunk as a cure for many ailments. Hippocrates was the first to insist wine on anise.
Greek vodka raki
It is believed that this is a national Turkish drink. But before 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 in the Ottoman Empire, less often by immigrants from the Balkans. Crayfish became popular in Turkey thanks to Kemal Atatürk, who really liked this drink. Aniseed vodka should be drunk diluted. Usually a mixture is made of one part of the crayfish and two to three parts of the mineral water. When diluted with water, the solution instantly whitens and becomes like milk. This is because aniseed essential oil emerges from the alcohol and an emulsion forms. It is because of the opaque white color that the Turkish crayfish drink (but actually Greek crayfish vodka) has the poetic name “lion's milk”. The strength of this drink varies from forty to fifty degrees. When undiluted, the crayfish has a very strong aniseed smell and a burning pungent taste.
Greek vodka Ouzo
At first glance, it seems that the national drink ouzo is the same crayfish, only softer. But this is not so. The production technology is completely different. Grape alcohols in ouzo no more than thirty percent. But that is not all. High-quality Greek vodka ouzo, in addition to anise, also contains a number of seasonings. 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. The middle one is again cleaned, 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 Tirnavos, in Thessaly, the local population was engaged in the cultivation of silkworm cocoons for export to France. Then this part of Greece was owned by Italy. Therefore, boxes with cocoons, before being sent across the sea, were marked with the inscription Uso a Marsiglia (it. “Use in Marseille”). 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 they were, they answered - ouzo.
Tsipuro
The first mention of this distillate is found in the monastery books of Athos of the late sixteenth century. Tsipuro is made by distillation of grape meal. After that, various spices are added to alcohols - cloves or cinnamon. Next, increase the alcohol content in the drink to 40-45 degrees. In Macedonia and Thessaly, anise is added to tsipuro, 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 even a trace of anise, but only viscous honey. Tsipuro is drunk undiluted from small glasses. The drink is served with appetizers (sun-dried tomatoes, spicy sausages and cheeses), as well as desserts (halva, nuts, raisins).
Mastic
A familiar word, right? Translated, it means "chewing with a grinding of teeth." And all because Greek vodka mastic is infused on the roots of the Chios tree. When the alcohols obtained from grape meal are driven through this plant material, they are enriched with ethereal resins. Mastic has a very specific taste and smell. They drink this vodka with the addition of ice. When immersed in cubes, the resin dissolved in alcohol emerges from the chemical compound, and the drink becomes opaque, white, like milk. In Greece there are two types of mastic: vodka and sweet liquor.