Ouzini Explained

Iba:	no
Ouzini
Type:	cocktail
Ouzo:	yes
Served:	rocks
Drinkware:	highball
Ingredients:	2.5 cl (one part) Cyprus ouzo 7.5 cl (three parts) fresh orange juice 2.5 cl (one part) fresh lemon juice 2-4 drops of bitters
Prep:	Shake ouzo and fresh juices vigorously together, coat the rim of a glass with powdered sugar and pour drink into glass over ice, and add dash of bitters. Garnish with a thin orange slice and serve.

The ouzini is a mixed alcoholic cocktail invented by the novelist Michael Paraskos as an alternative national drink of Cyprus to the ubiquitous brandy sour.^{[1] [2]}

Using only native Cypriot ingredients, including Cypriot ouzo, the drink was invented in response to a campaign launched in 2014 by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation to encourage restaurants in Cyprus to offer customers Cypriot cuisine.^[3] According to Paraskos the drink tastes "like liquid aniseed balls", referring to the traditional boiled sweet, and is "ideal for a hot Cypriot evening before dinner."^[1]

The drink is featured heavily in Michael Paraskos's novel In Search of Sixpence.^[4]

See also

• List of cocktails

Further reading

• Web site: Sakellis . Eleni . Summer Cocktails- Ouzotini & Ouzini . The National Herald . June 14, 2016 . June 22, 2016.

Notes and References

1. News: Michael Paraskos. A perfect sundowner to replace the tired old brandy sour. The Cyprus Mail. 19 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150419151500/http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/04/19/a-perfect-sundowner-to-replace-the-tired-old-brandy-sour/. 19 April 2015.
2. Lucie Robson, 'A good story will be the Ouzini's strongest ingredient', in The Cyprus Weekly (Cyprus newspaper), 1 May 2015
3. News: Evie Andreou. A foodie destination. https://web.archive.org/web/20160911012000/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-377157247.html. dead. 11 September 2016. The Cyprus Mail. 3 August 2014.
4. Michael Paraskos, In Search of Sixpence (London: Friction Fiction)