Greece produces a range of spirits and liqueurs that most international visitors never properly encounter — they order ouzo because they’ve heard of it, they drink house wine with dinner, and they leave without understanding that the country has one of the most interesting and diverse spirits landscapes in Europe. This guide covers every significant Greek spirit and liqueur with the specificity that makes the difference between ordering something and understanding what you’re drinking: what it is made from, where it comes from, how to drink it, what distinguishes the best from the merely adequate, and where to find each one on a Greece trip. By the end, you will know more about Greek spirits than most Greeks — which is genuinely not a high bar, since Greek drinking culture is more focused on wine and the social context of drinking than on spirits education, but which will make your time in Greece significantly more interesting and enjoyable.
For the deep dive on tsipouro specifically: our dedicated tsipouro guide covers the pomace brandy tradition completely. For the wine context: our Athens wine bars guide covers Greek wine. For the cocktail bar scene where these spirits appear: our Athens cocktail bars guide.
Ouzo: Greece’s Most Famous and Most Misunderstood Spirit
Ouzo is the spirit most associated with Greece internationally and the one most consistently mistreated by visitors who shoot it as a novelty rather than drink it as it is intended. Understanding ouzo properly transforms it from a tourist experience into a genuine pleasure.
Ouzo is made from rectified grape alcohol (or grain alcohol, depending on the producer) flavored with anise and a combination of other botanicals — fennel, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg — in proportions that vary significantly between producers and that define the individual character of each brand. Greek law requires that ouzo contain at least 20% alcohol derived from the distillation of grape alcohol specifically (not purely rectified spirit) and that anise be the dominant flavoring. The result must be at least 37.5% ABV.
The louche effect — the milky white cloudiness that develops when water or ice is added — is caused by the anethole (the essential oil of anise) precipitating out of solution when the alcohol concentration drops. This is not a flaw but a feature: the louching indicates genuine anise character. Ouzo that doesn’t louche has insufficient anise or has been adulterated.
The best ouzo producers: Plomari from Lesbos (particularly Isidoros Arvanitis — the most awarded Greek ouzo, complex and balanced), Barbayannis from Lesbos (traditional production since 1860, the benchmark for aged ouzo character), Mini from Tirnavos in Thessaly (different botanical profile, more fennel-forward, a genuinely interesting alternative to the Lesbos standard). Avoid the supermarket brands that dominate on price — they are technically compliant and gustatorially mediocre.
How to drink ouzo correctly: Cold (not over ice), in a small glass, with the addition of a small amount of cold water to bring out the louche and soften the alcohol. Drink slowly alongside mezedes — the anise character works with the specific flavors of Greek meze (seafood, olives, salty cheeses) in ways that wine cannot match. Ouzo is an aperitif and a meze spirit; it is not a digestif, not a shot, and not a mixer.
Tsipouro: The Spirit of Thessaly and Macedonia
Tsipouro — pomace brandy distilled from the grape marc of Thessalian and Macedonian wine production — is Greece’s most interesting and least internationally known spirit. The full account of tsipouro: its production (fermented grape pomace, copper pot still distillation, typically 40-47% ABV), its varieties (plain tsipouro vs tsipouro with anise), its geography (Volos, Larissa, and the broader Thessaly-Macedonia wine belt), its drinking culture (the tsipouradiko restaurant format of Volos), and its best producers (Babatzim, Katsaros) — all covered in our dedicated tsipouro guide.
The essential tsipouro knowledge for a Greece trip: it is not ouzo (completely different base, production, and character), it is best drunk at a Volos tsipouradiko where the meze accompaniment is integral to the experience, and the aged versions (oak barrel, 1-3 years) have a complexity that approaches cognac and Armagnac quality. If you encounter it on a menu anywhere in Greece, order it.
Tsikoudia: Crete’s Pomace Brandy
Tsikoudia (called raki in Crete — not to be confused with Turkish raki, which is anise-flavored) is the Cretan version of tsipouro: pomace brandy from Cretan grape harvest, distilled in family pot stills across the island in October-November after the wine pressing. It is typically 40-45% ABV, drunk young and fresh, and offered to every guest at every Cretan home and restaurant as a ritual of hospitality that predates written records.
The cultural significance of tsikoudia in Crete: refusing it is genuinely impolite — it represents the host’s hospitality and the island’s identity in a single small glass. The correct response to an offered tsikoudia is to accept it, clink glasses (“Yamas!” — cheers), and drink it. You don’t need to finish it if the strength is challenging; you need to engage with it. The glass is usually accompanied by a small sweet (honey, raisins, loukoumades) that softens the alcohol.
New tsikoudia (nea tsikoudia), drunk immediately after distillation in November-December, is a seasonal experience unavailable outside Crete in that specific window. If you are in Crete in November, ask any taverna owner or guesthouse host if they have their new tsikoudia — the answer is almost always yes, and the experience (the raw, direct, agricultural freshness of pomace brandy hours after distillation) is something wine culture cannot provide.
Mastiha Liqueur: Greece’s Most Distinctive Spirit Ingredient
Mastiha liqueur — made from the resin of the mastic tree grown only on Chios — is the spirit ingredient most specifically Greek in the world. No other country produces mastic resin in usable quantities (the specific subspecies of Pistacia lentiscus that produces the resin grows only in the southern Chios villages), and no other spirit has this specific flavor profile: a complex combination of pine resin, herbs, and a slight sweetness that is simultaneously ancient (mastic has been traded since at least the 5th century BC) and strikingly modern in cocktail applications.
The main brands: Skinos (a premium mastiha spirit at 30% ABV, designed for cocktail use — clean, precisely flavored, the best introduction to mastiha for spirits drinkers), Mastihashop’s Chios Mastiha Liqueur (sweeter, more traditional, better as a digestif neat), and several smaller producers selling directly from the Chios cooperatives. The mastiha sour — mastiha liqueur, fresh lemon juice, egg white, thyme honey — is the definitive Athens cocktail and the best introduction to what mastiha does in a drink. Order it at any serious Athens cocktail bar; our Athens cocktail bars guide covers the venues where it will be executed properly.
Mastiha products beyond spirits: mastiha chewing gum (the original gum — the word “masticate” derives from the Greek mastichain, to chew mastic), mastiha ice cream, mastiha-flavored chocolates and pastries. All are sold at specialty shops throughout Athens and at the airport. The Mastihashop chain has several Athens locations and stocks the complete range of Chios mastiha products — the finest single food souvenir category available from Greece.
Tentura: Patras’s Secret Liqueur
Tentura is a spiced liqueur specific to the Patras area of the northern Peloponnese — flavored with cinnamon, cloves, and local citrus peel (particularly the bergamot and bitter orange of the Corinthian coast), sweet and warming, typically 25-30% ABV. It is almost entirely unknown outside the Patras area and the Greek diaspora communities that carried the tradition with them. In Patras, it is drunk as an after-dinner digestif — a small glass at the end of a meal, its spice warmth settling the stomach after the typically abundant Peloponnese table.
The history: Tentura has been produced in Patras since the Venetian period (the city was under Venetian control 1408-1715), and the specific spice combination reflects the spice trade connections of the Venetian Adriatic mercantile network. This is genuinely one of the most historically specific Greek spirits — a liqueur whose recipe reflects the Venetian-Greek cultural fusion of the western Peloponnese in its specific ingredients and technique. Difficult to find outside Patras but worth seeking at specialty spirit shops in Athens or ordering at a traditional Peloponnese restaurant if available.
Rakomelo: Crete’s Winter Warming Drink
Rakomelo is not technically a liqueur — it is a preparation rather than a produced spirit: tsikoudia (Cretan pomace brandy) warmed with thyme honey and warming spices (cinnamon, cloves, sometimes star anise or cardamom) and served hot in small glasses. It is the Greek hot toddy — drunk in winter, after meals, in mountain villages when the temperature drops, and increasingly year-round as a comfort drink at Cretan-themed restaurants across Greece.
The specific pleasures of rakomelo: the thyme honey softens the alcohol without masking it, the spices add warmth that is literally warming in cold conditions, and the combination has the specific quality of a drink that has been refined by generations of practical need (keeping warm in Cretan mountain winters) into something genuinely excellent. Order it at any Cretan taverna on a cold evening; some Athens restaurants with Cretan-influenced menus serve it. It is possible to make at home from commercial tsikoudia and good honey — but the Cretan context is the best delivery mechanism for the experience.
Greek Craft Gin: The Rising Category
Greek craft gin has emerged as a serious category in the last decade — producers using indigenous Greek botanicals (mastiha, herbs from specific mountains, citrus from specific coasts) to create gins with a specifically Greek character alongside internationally standard gin technique. The key producers:
Kavala Gin (northern Greece, Macedonian botanicals including a specific mountain herb): a London Dry-style gin with Greek botanical additions — the result has international gin structure with specific Greek character in the mid-palate. Increasingly available at Athens cocktail bars and specialty spirits retailers.
Almonds Gin (Athens-produced, almond-forward): using Aegina pistachios (technically almonds in the broader sense) as the lead botanical alongside juniper — the result has a nutty, slightly sweet character that makes interesting tonic pairings. Specifically Athenian in its ingredient sourcing.
Roots Gin (multiple Greek botanical sources): a newer producer using rotating seasonal botanicals from different Greek regions — the result varies by release but consistently demonstrates what Greek gin terroir can produce.
Greek gin and tonic has become the standard Athens cocktail bar summer drink — ask specifically for the local craft gin rather than the standard international brands (Tanqueray, Hendrick’s) and the bartender at any serious Athens establishment will have an opinion and a recommendation. For the venues to drink it: our Athens cocktail bars guide covers every significant option.
Greek Brandy: Metaxa and the Premium Alternatives
Metaxa is Greece’s most internationally known brandy brand — a style that falls between cognac and liqueur (it is technically not a brandy in the cognac sense, being sweetened and infused with Mediterranean botanicals after distillation). The Stars system (3, 5, 7, 12 Stars) reflects barrel aging: 3 Stars is the basic expression, 12 Stars a genuinely complex aged spirit. Metaxa 12 Stars is worth ordering as an after-dinner drink at a traditional Athens restaurant — the sweetness and the aging complexity combine into something more interesting than its commercial reputation suggests.
Beyond Metaxa: several Greek producers make unsweet Greek brandy (tsipouro aged in oak, or pure grape brandy aged without the Metaxa liqueur additions) that represents genuinely serious spirits without international distribution. The Babatzim aged tsipouro and several Macedonian producers’ oak-aged expressions are worth seeking at Athens specialty wine and spirits shops (the Monastiraki area has several excellent retailers).
Where to Buy Greek Spirits in Athens
The best Athens locations for buying Greek spirits to take home or to drink during your visit:
The wine and spirits shops in and around Monastiraki carry the widest selection — several specialists stock the full range of tsipouro, mastiha products, ouzo, and the craft gin category. The Central Market (Varvakios Agora) on Athinas Street has several wine merchants with good regional spirit selections at market prices. The Mastihashop locations in Athens specifically for mastiha products. Athens airport duty-free for the final purchase before departure — the selection has improved significantly and includes most major Greek spirit categories at competitive prices. For tipping customs at Athens bars when sampling spirits: our Greece guide covers all situations. For Greek phrases for ordering and asking about spirits: our language guide covers the vocabulary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What alcohol is Greece known for?
Ouzo (anise spirit, the international representative), tsipouro (pomace brandy, the local specialist), mastiha liqueur (mastic resin from Chios, the most specifically Greek), tsikoudia (Cretan pomace brandy, the most hospitality-embedded), and Greek wine (over 300 indigenous varieties, world-class quality). Each is distinctly Greek; none is interchangeable with any other country’s equivalent.
Is ouzo the national drink of Greece?
By international reputation, yes. By actual Greek consumption, wine is drunk far more widely than ouzo. Tsipouro outsells ouzo in Thessaly and northern Greece. Ouzo is the national drink in the sense that it is the Greek spirit the world knows — not necessarily the one Greeks drink most.
What is the best Greek spirit to try?
For the most specifically Greek experience: mastiha liqueur in a mastiha sour at an Athens cocktail bar. For the most culturally embedded: tsikoudia at a Cretan taverna when offered by the owner. For the most interesting spirits exploration: aged tsipouro at a Volos tsipouradiko.
Related Greek Food and Drink Guides
For tsipouro in depth: our tsipouro guide. For Greek wine: our Athens wine bars guide. For Athens cocktail bars: our cocktail bars guide. For Chios and mastiha production: our Chios island guide.
Ready to Drink Greece Properly?
Order the mastiha sour. Accept the tsikoudia when offered in Crete. Find a Volos tsipouradiko. Buy a bottle of Plomari ouzo for home. Book accommodation throughout Greece through Booking.com. For more Greek food and drink guides, explore athensglance.com.