Mastika/Mastiha

[Chris Amirault]

Does anyone have any information about mastika/matiha, the Greek liqueur made from mastic?

[chezcherie]

perhaps this is what sparked your interest. (if so, you already have this info.) if not, there is a sidebar in the current (aug/sept 2010) issue of saveur magazine--the greece issue-- (pg 70) describing mastiha.

...a traditional Greek liqueur flavored with mastic, the hardened resin of the mastic tree. Mastic is a little bit of wonder. Thanks to a combination of climate, soil, and careful cultivation, the Greek island of Chios is the only place in the world where the tree exudes its aromatic resin--hence mastic's Greek nickname, "tears of Chios."

[Chris Amirault]

It is precisely! "Sweet with a heady, herbal aroma and a light flavor of pine" is right up my alley....

[OldFashioned]

I've never seen the liqueur here in Vancouver but I have seen the actual mastic resin and a jam/paste made from mastic in the local Greek grocery stores. From those you could make some neat cocktail ingredients such as a mastic gomme syrup (use mastic instead of gum arabic) or a mastic tincture. I love the piney taste of mastic as well.

[EvergreenDan]

Just tried Roots Mastiha at a restaurant. Slightly sweet and syrupy, nose of eau de vie (primarily pear to me), fig-like finish. I enjoyed it. Since a bar got it in Boston, I assume it is available in stores, but I haven't seen it.

 

It was the only thing in a long list of amari that I hadn't had. I was expecting something brown, sweet and bitter, so this weird clear eau-like liqueur was unexpected. I don't often drink something like this after dinner, and it is too sweet before, but it was definitely interesting. I suspect it could make a nice sour. There are limited Mastika recipes in Kindred Cocktails. I'm not sure how Roots Mastiha differs for other Mastikas.

[Craig E]

Just brought a bottle of this back from Thessaloniki Duty Free: Skinos Mastiha. I found the nose interesting but not that appealing, the taste more yummy: cinnamon, resin, pine, sweet. I gather some of these have an ouzo-like anise aspect, but in this label that is very minimal. 

 

Pondering how to mix with it, I worried it'd be a rehash of my frustrations with Swedish punsch: that is, sweet enough on its own that additional sweet mixers would be too much, and subtle in flavor so that it might easily get lost when mixed with anything with a strong personality. 

 

But my first go turned out pretty good: equal parts pisco and mastiha, a little lemon juice, and some tiki bitters that drew out the clove and cinnamon. With a mint garnish. On the finish there's mint, pine, and even some bubblegum. I dubbed it the Contrapposto, named for the principle of asymmetrical balance credited as a breakthrough of ancient Classical Greek sculptors. 

 

For further experiments, I might think about successful drinks that use Yellow Chartreuse, since it has a similar herbal sweetness. Or perhaps some places it could complexify drinks that call for cinnamon syrup.