Ouzo it is not produced in any other part of the world except
Is a 100% Greek product and
Ouzo is made from a precise combination of pressed grapes and herbs and berries. It begins as alcohol made from grape skins or other local produce. It is then brought together with herbs and other ingredients, including star anise, coriander, cloves, angelica root, licorice, mint, wintergreen, fennel, hazelnut and even cinnamon and lime blossom. The mixture is boiled in a copper still, regulated by a taster.
The resulting liquid is cooled and stored for several months before it is diluted to about 80 proofs, or 40 per cent alcohol.
It is usually served as an aperitif, but is also used in some mixed drinks and cocktails.
When mixing Ouzo with water it will turn whitish and opaque. The reason is that the anise oil dissolves and becomes invisible when mixed with usual alcohol content, but as soon as the alcohol content is reduced, the essential oils transform into white crystals, which you cannot see through.
Some of The best Ouzo are:
- Ouzo Plomari (Lesvos Island)
- Ouzo 12 (North Greece)
- Ouzo Sans Rival (Athens)
- Ouzo Nikolas (Rhodes Island)
Ouzo drinking is an art. Or maybe it's a way of life.
Ouzo itself, symbolizes more than anything else, the Greek way of thinking. This way of thinking is based on optimism, in everyday practice of the philosophy, and the joy of life!
