The Uncommon Ingredient In José Andrés’ Gin And Tonic-Inspired Cocktail
NEWS
By MATTHEW LEE
In his cookbook, “Zaytinya,” chef José Andrés shared that his love for the Gin and Tonic led him to uncover a rare and more flavorful variation of the drink: the Mastiha and Tonic.
Mastiha, or “mastika liqueur,” is a Greek liqueur that’s hard to come by outside the Mediterranean. Having plant resin added, mastiha has a unique herbal, woody, and grassy flavor.
In the peninsular country of Greece and the island of Chios to the far north of the Aegean Sea, an entire industry is devoted to harvesting the aromatic sap of the mastic tree.
The sap is either mixed with alcohol and sugar to produce a sweet-tasting mastiha that serves as both an aperitif and a digestif, or distilled with alcohol to make a drier mastiha.
Dry mastiha has a more pronounced herbal flavor, a higher alcohol content, and, per Andrés, extra notes of “mint, lavender, and chamomile,” making it ideal for crafting cocktails.
When making Mastiha and Tonic, using dry mastiha ensures the tonic water’s bitterness shines through, preventing an overly one-dimensional taste that sweet mastiha might create.
As Andrés puts it, once you throw together dry mastiha, tonic water, and a dash of citrus juice to brighten the flavor up a little, the resulting drink will “haunt you forever.”
