Ouzo Barbayanni Greek Ouzo Liquor Plomari Lesvos Greece

Nature and the distinctive qualities of ouzo certainly do reveal its Mediterranean and, above all, its Greek character. The aroma of anise that emerges from a glass filled with ouzo, creates an amazing feeling of serenity, happiness, warms up the atmosphere among people sitting around the table, and certainly provides images of the Greek summer, sun, and sea; the pure essence of Greece!

The habit of diluting alcoholic beverages appears at the beginning of every spirit and then tends to disappear due to the tendency of the drinkers to enjoy them pure, without any additions. In the case of ouzo, though, still people continue enjoying it mixed with water. Its consumption temperature, as is the case with all strong aroma alcoholic beverages, must not be high. For this reason, people prefer to add pure cold water for the temperature to drop, and in many cases, they add a couple of ice cubes. The serving glass is usually tall and tube-shaped. This helps with the addition of water and ice cubes while at the same time keeps the essential oils inside the glass.

In the old times, the ouzo glass was solely small and with a narrow lip. The reason for this was to avoid inhaling alcohol and getting drunk faster (they used to call it ‘kanonaki’, meaning little cannon).