A New Greek Spirit For The Modern Age

Mastiha, pronounced mas-ti-ka, is a Greek liquor seasoned with mastic resin from the island of Chios. You’ve probably never heard of Mastiha; few have unless you have Greek ethnicity.

Historically, it’s been a sweet liquor, typically served cold after a meal. However, a new dry version produced for Miami-based Axia Spirit is making waves among mixologists and heralds the emergence of a brand-new category of Mastiha.

The mastic tree, Pistacia lentiscus, produces mastic resin. The tree grows wild across the Mediterranean region. In many places, it’s considered a weed. The term mastic is derived from the Greek word mastichon, to chew.

On the southern portion of the Greek island of Chios in the Aegean, however, the local variety of mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus var. Chios) produces an exceptionally flavorful resin. Nicknamed “Tears of Chios,” it imparts distinctive herbal, citrus and pine resin notes when it is dissolved in an alcoholic spirit.

Chios Mastiha Liqueur is a protected designation of origin (PDO) in the European Union. It is reserved for a spirit produced in Greece using mastic resin exclusively from the island of Chios.

The island, the fifth largest Greek island in the Aegean, is situated just off the coast of Turkey and is separated from the Anatolian mainland by the Chios Channel.

There are approximately 1.5 million mastic trees on Chios, cultivated by about 5,000 growers. The average farmer has between 500 and 10,000 trees. The resin is harvested from November to February.

A handheld, rake-like instrument is used to score the bark. The resin flows from the cuts and hardens into small crystal-like “mastiha tears.” The tears eventually fall to the ground where they are collected. The area beneath the trees is covered with a thin layer of white limestone powder to help keep the crystals clean.

The tears are washed three times and either packaged as is, ground into powder, or converted into mastic oil. The island produces around 200 tons of mastic resin a year. The mastic tears sell for about $100/kilo wholesale.

The use of mastic resin goes back to antiquity. Historically, it was used in mummification rituals, balsams, incense, and even snakebite anti-venom.

Hippocrates recommended mastic resin to prevent digestive problems, colds and as a breath freshener. Mastic liquors were widely consumed as a tonic during Roman times. Alcoholic spirits flavored with mastic resin have been common in Greece since the 18th century.

Mastic is widely used as a spice in Greek cooking—from bread to marinades. It is also popular as an antioxidant supplement.

Mastiha is sometimes confused with Ouzo, the classic Greek spirit. While both beverages are quintessentially Greek, they are different.

Ouzo is an alcoholic beverage flavored primarily with anise and smaller quantities of fruits and herbs. Each producer has a unique recipe. Some producers also use a small amount of mastic, but this is not a significant ingredient in Ouzo.

Mastic liqueurs are produced by dissolving mastic crystals, powder or oil with alcohol and then distilling the mixture, typically twice. Water and sugar are added to reduce the alcoholic strength and sweeten the spirit.

According to Axia:

Mastiha crystals are carefully macerated and then redistilled at 80C in our alembic stills. Maceration does take a while, but it allows us to work gently with the crystals and draw out a range of flavor components, lifting and refining different characteristics from the resin. From sultry rose to bright cypress and bold anise, we’re thrilled with the broad spectrum we were able to elicit from the crystals.

We use traditional alembic copper stills, whose size and shape was carefully calibrated to deliver a unique sensory experience in the final distillate – layered complexity, velvety textures, and delicate balance.

The whole distillation process takes ten hours. The still-strength spirit is rested on site in stainless steel containers for several weeks to marry the flavors and develop a smooth character. Purified local water is gradually added and gently mixed to achieve our desired ABV.

Axia Spirit was founded by Adrian Clarke, a Bacardi clan member, a long-time beverage company investor and entrepreneur, and Nikos Kalogiannis, a distiller and well-known Ouzo producer.

Axia produces its Mastiha spirit at Kalogiannis’ Plomari Distillery on the island of Mytilene. Unlike traditional Mastiha liqueurs, however, Axia Mastiha only has about .5% sugar by weight. Traditional Mastiha can be as much as 7% sugar.

Tony Chvala, Axia Spirit CEO, described the new, extra dry beverage as “a new spirit category for consumers looking for flavor, depth, complexity and excitement in a drink.” He calls it a “one-of-a-kind taste to a new generation of flavor chasers and spirits enthusiasts.”

Axia, Extra Dry Mastiha, 40% ABV, 750 ml

The spirit is crystal clear. On the nose, it’s semi-dry with green vegetative notes of cut grass and notes of mint, anise and menthol, along with some floral potpourri, especially rose petal and dried bergamot aromas. There is a bit of wet stone minerality accompanied by some spicy notes and a bit of pepper.

There are pronounced citrus notes of orange and mandarin on the palate and a touch of lemon zest. The spirit has just a hint of candied sweetness, slightly marshmallow-like, which, along with the citrus notes, gives it a slight marmalade-like flavor. There is a hint of clove, a chili-like pepperiness, subtle resinous notes of pine pitch and a persistent herbal note.

The finish is long, with a lingering pine and herbal note and a hint of bitterness at the end.

Axia Mastiha works equally well straight up or on the rocks and as the base of a cocktail. Try it with tonic water and a splash of orange bitters or mixed with any herbal liqueur or herb-infused simple syrup. It makes a great mojito too!

Cheers