Friday, June 1, 2012
Summer in Greece can be quite hot and humid -and this surely calls for a refreshing beverage.
Greece has traditionally evoked the image of an ouzo glass full of ice served with Greek mezedes by the sea, but we decided to give you a little pick of what Greeks really drink when it’s scorching hot and relatively early to switch to alcohol.
The one drink served everywhere in the country is a vanilla ypovrihio a.k.a "vanilla submarine" (see photo above).
Don’t worry, despite the allusion to the whisky cocktail, ypovrihio is just a spoonful of sweet paste made of mastic resin and white sugar dipped in ice cold water -a heavenly treat for adults and kids alike!
This sweet treat is meant to be licked lollipop-like, as the caramel candy paste gets softer by the water. Another GNA team favourite is "vyssinada" (sour cherry drink), especially the homemade one.
The recipe is really simple, pour ¼ of sour cherry syrup and add ¾ of very cold water and ice - tah tah, it’s ready!
It’s best enjoyed when you are perched under a bougainvillea overlooking the Aegean Sea.
And last, but not least, when the night falls, get ready for an alcoholic liqueur that will blow your taste buds away: the mouth tantalising mastic liqueur, distilled only on the island of Chios, where mastic trees grow.
You can have it chilled as an aperitivo or digestivo, or even use it as the base ingredient for a cocktail. Bottoms up and let the summer begin!
