“Everything is delicious in Greece!” – assures the majority of tourists, guests of Hellas. Drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are no exception. How nice it is to refresh yourself with a glass of frappe on a hot beach, or warm up on a winter mountain slope with hot soumada, or drink a shot of raki in the company raising a toast – “Yamas!” Means “to your health!” What are these drinks? What kind of coffee and tea do Greeks prefer? Which of them can be made at home? You will find answers to these questions in our review. And interestingly, there are several varieties of unique alcohol in Greece that is not produced anywhere else in the world.

Let’s start with a non-alcoholic “drink of joy”, perhaps, which we all lack so much right now.

1. Soumada (σουμάδα) is a special non-alcoholic drink of traditional Cretan cuisine for joyful events, such as a wedding or engagement. That’s why the locals call it “drink of happiness” or “drink of joy”.

Soumada is also known as almond milk—a mixture of fresh local almonds, sugar and water boiled in sugar syrup. That nutritious syrupy drink has a cloudy white color, a unique aroma and a sweet, as well as slightly bitter almond flavor.

Soumada is good in summer (with cold water or soda with ice) and also in winter: in the cold season, they drink it hot, mixing the syrup with boiling water, or adding it to a cup of herbal tea (soumada tea). For extra flavor, you can add a cinnamon stick, cloves, or orange zest. We recommend diluting one part of soumada with four parts of water (cold, with ice cubes or hot, depending on the season). Mix well and enjoy it.

2. Malotira, a mountain tea (τσάι βουνού). It is also called sideritis (it means in Greek “someone who is from iron, or possesses it.” The plant is so named because of the high content of iodine, due to which it was used to treat wounds received by iron in ancient times.

This is the most common herbal tea from the mountains of Greece. For some reason, nature gave this unique plant to the Greeks, practically depriving other countries of the Mediterranean.

Tea from malotira has many names: “Cretan tea”, “tea from Mount Parnassus”, “tea from Mount Olympus”, “Greek mountain tea”, “shepherd’s tea”.

3. Ouzo is one of the most famous Greek alcoholic drinks and tastes like sambuca. It is legally recognized as national one and can only be produced in Greece. The technology for the production of ouzo is not intricate. Mash is made from grape pomace combined with ethyl alcohol. This mixture is then seasoned with a combination of herbs and plant seeds. Anise seeds are an obligatory component, and then the set of herbs is arbitrary: each manufacturer has his own. It may include coriander, cardamom, mastic tree bark, chamomile, fennel, almonds, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, etc. In Greece, there are taverns, called “ouzeri”, where only this drink will be served as alcohol.

Watch the Greeks “playing chemists” with their ouzo. The fact is that when water and ice are added to ouzo, its color changes before our eyes: in a few seconds, a transparent drink becomes cloudy white. Ouzo is usually ordered along with traditional small dishes served as appetizers (meze).

4. “Metaxa” is a strong alcoholic drink of golden amber color (alcohol content 38%): a mix of aged brandy with sweet muscat wine and plant extracts.

Experts deny that Metaxa is a cognac or even brandy, saying about difficulty to attribute it to any group of alcohol. This is a unique alcoholic drink of Greeks. The composition of the herbal extract used to make Metaxa is still a secret. It is only known for certain that three grape varieties and mature wine are used in its production, and the mix is aged in French oak barrels for at least three years. Each star on the Metaxa label corresponds to a year of aging.

In its pure form, Metaxa is consumed from liquor glasses at room temperature in small sips. It that way you enjoy the taste and aroma of the drink. Sometimes, to reduce the strength, Metaxa is diluted with tonic and a citrus juice in a 1:1 ratio. Also, this alcoholic drink is added to tea and coffee. In Greece, tea with Metaxa is considered to be medicinal.

5. Greek frappe is the result of combining instant coffee with water and ice. The combination is usually prepared in a shaker or mixer, so when the drink is poured into a glass, it has a thick foam.

Refreshing frappe is a symbol of summer Greece. In a cafe frappe is served in three versions—sketos, metrios and glycos, that is, pure coffee without sugar, medium sweet, or sweet. All three options can be ordered with or without milk, and also with cinnamon, ice cream, berries; there are much more options.

6. Freddo espresso is a kind of cold coffee. If you’re not a fan of instant coffee, this is a great alternative on a hot summer day. The classic version is created on the basis of dark coffee—mainly espresso. According to the preparation technology, it is similar to ice coffee, from which it is distinguished not by the addition of ice cubes but by the addition of small ice chips. What makes freddo so special is that the two ingredients are mixed until the coffee is slightly chilled, smooth and creamy. In Greece, two varieties of it are common: freddo espresso (black coffee, a stronger one) and freddo cappuccino, which is less strong (diluted with milk). You can sweeten your drink as you wish.

Coffee is, without a doubt, the most popular drink in Greece; Greeks are avid coffee drinkers.

7. Tsikoudia (τσικουδία) is a strong alcoholic drink very popular on the island of Crete. Its other name is “raki”. Due to its strong alcohol, tsikoudia is sometimes called grape vodka. In essence, this is a village moonshine, produced in Crete in family distilleries by use of traditional copper stills. Tsikoudia is usually the product of only one distillation, which helps to preserve the natural taste and aroma. The strong drink is a part of the Cretan culture: it is customary to greet guests with it. As a sign of hospitality, you will be offered a shot with it in an inn or tavern. The drink is served chilled, in a small decanter with a narrow, high neck. Tsikoudia is poured into small shot glasses and drunk in one gulp. The clear and colorless drink has a high alcohol content ranging from 40 to 65%. Therefore, the drink is insidious: tastes good, easy to drink (a glass after a glass) but can quickly “go to your legs”.

An old Cretan tradition is the Rakokazana, or Kazanemata festival—the celebration and process of producing the Cretan raki. It all takes place between October and December and is like a ritual that takes place every year after the grape harvest.

“Rakı” is a trademark of the alcoholic drink, patented by the Turks, therefore, in Greece similar bottles in stores are usually labeled as tsikoudia.

On the islands of Rhodes and Samos, an alcoholic drink, obtained by distillation of grape pomace, and similar to Cretan tsikoudia, is called souma (σούμα). In Chios, souma is made by distilling figs. The alcohol content in it varies, depending on the taste of each manufacturer, but usually is hovering around 50%. It is a traditional drink of Chios, Rhodes, Paros and other islands of the Aegean Sea.

8. One more alcoholic drink of Greece among the strong ones is tsipouro (τσίπουρο). In the 14th century, Greek Orthodox monks on Mount Athos were the first producers of tsipouro. In order to use all the by-products of the vine in the production of wine, inventive monks began to distill the fermented pomace (mixture), left after pressing the grapes, when obtaining the bulk of the juice. Now, in order to produce high-quality tsipouro, producers do not remove the mash during the production of wine. Then the distillation product is diluted to reduce the content of alcohol to 38-45%, filtered and bottled; then it is tsipouro. If they made a second distillation, and various ingredients, such as anise, fennel, cloves, nutmeg and mastiha, are added, resulting in a particular tsipouro that is purer and more aromatic.

Of course, tsipouro and tsikoudia are similar, both in taste and in the way they are made. The main difference between these two spirits is the second distillation and the presence or absence of anise and other aromatic additives in the composition, which are absent in traditional Cretan raki.

The Russians forgot this product, which was common in the countryside before the revolution. If you read Chekhov, there landowners often drink aniseed vodka.

9. Rakomelo (ρακόμελο, a combination of two words—ρακί + μέλι (“honey”). Honey vodka, consisting of two main ingredients—raki and honey. Sometimes cinnamon and cloves are also added to the drink. In Crete it is considered to be a women’s drink. It can also have content of alcohol 45% and costs twice as much as tsikoudia. Rakomelo is most common among Greeks in winter, as it is served hot. This healing tincture effectively helps with colds. Chilled, it is good as an after-dinner dessert drink.

10. Retsina (ρετσίνα) is a unique ancient Greek resinous white table wine (ABV 11.5%). Less common is rosé one, produced using a similar technology and called “kokkineli”. Such “tar” wines were known about 3000 years ago. Currently, Aleppo pine resin is used to produce the drink, which is added during the fermentation of wine. When this process is completed, the resin is removed. There is a very beautiful name for this drink—”love from the third sip.”

From the first sip you will feel the taste of resin, from the second—the taste of wine; only from the third one you get the true taste of retsina. You either fall in love with retsina or refuse it: indifference is impossible.

Retsina is very common among the Greeks because of low cost of the drink—a truly folk wine. Its production is allowed exclusively in this country. Outside of Greece, retsina is still little known, since it is practically not exported.

It is customary to drink retsina, chilled to 7-10 degrees, from special copper mugs or ordinary wine glasses. Only being chilled, retsina gives off the whole palette of tastes of a sunny drink with a coniferous aroma, notes of herbs and exotic fruits.

11. Liqueur Mastiha is a spicy one because of resin mastiha from the island of Chios.

Mastiha is a resin that is obtained from an evergreen shrub the Pistacia lentiscus, belonging to the pistachio genus. In Greece, the plant is called “schinos”. The resin is harvested exclusively around villages, located in Mastichochoria, in the southern part of the island of Chios. Only this resin has medicinal properties and protected appellation of origin status.

In Russia, Mastiha liqueur is not used due to the lack of imports. However, the well-known strong liquor “Skinos” (Skinos Mastiha Spirit) can be found. It is usually served chilled and clean. It is ideal as an aperitif, as well as an accompaniment to appetizers or desserts. Alcohol content: about 30%.

12. Greek beer. Of course, Greece is a country of wine, not beer. The vast majority of the population prefers grape drink to barley. But beer is also common in Greece and sold quite a lot: it is consumed mostly by tourists and young Greeks.

If you have been to Greece, you can easily list the typical selection of Greek beer brands in most shops, taverns and cafes. These are “Mythos”, “Alpha” and “FIX”. Light beer “Mythos”, perhaps is the most common in Greece. Like all of the above brands of beer, “FIX” is brewed on the mainland and is available as light, or dark. Dark “FIX” is very pleasant, with a slight aftertaste of roasted barley.

There are also more than 40 microbreweries in the country.They adequately compete with the abovementioned “big three” (brands).There are craft breweries on the Greek islands as well.Volkan, for example, is one of the most titled beer brands in Greece, originating from the volcanic island of Santorini, or another craft beer brand “56 islands”. The name “56 islands” comes from the 56 small and large islands of the Cyclades archipelago.With this name, the owners of the brewery from the island of Paros wanted to draw attention to the region.

Before to finish our review, let’s say also a few words about Greek wines, which are not so well known as the strong national alcoholic drinks. Perhaps, local wines are ones of the most underestimated in the world: among them there are excellent varieties. And how could it be otherwise—the god of winemaking Dionysus lived on the Greek Olympus. Greece is the oldest wine-growing region on the planet: the local traditions of winemaking are more than six thousand years old.

The five best wine brands (according to greekbook.ru) that you need to try and bring from Greece are red wines Agiorgitiko, Xynomavro and Mavrodaphne; white ones are “Savatiano” and “Assyrtiko” from Santorini.