Ouzini

Mixed drink using only ingredients from Cyprus

Ouzini
Cocktail
Type	Cocktail
Base spirit	Ouzo
Served	On the rocks: poured over ice
Standard drinkware	Highball glass
Commonly used 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
Preparation	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]

References

^ ^a ^b Michael Paraskos (19 April 2015). "A perfect sundowner to replace the tired old brandy sour". The Cyprus Mail. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015.
^ Lucie Robson, 'A good story will be the Ouzini's strongest ingredient', in The Cyprus Weekly (Cyprus newspaper), 1 May 2015
^ Evie Andreou (3 August 2014). "A foodie destination". The Cyprus Mail. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016.
^ Michael Paraskos, In Search of Sixpence (London: Friction Fiction)