Neat:
Crystal clear, smells of anise, cinnamon, and clove. The taste is smooth and sweet with flavors of licorice and sugar on a slick, light body. The finish is long and aromatic with virtually no burn, featuring notes of anise, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, white pepper, coriander, and fennel. Overall, this is a very smooth and aromatic ouzo that is quite delicious. I must admit this is probably only the 2nd ouzo I’ve ever had but this is quite good, very anise forward but with subtle undertones tp balance and enhance that flavor into something complex yet delicate.
So apparently this is the intended way to drink it, but the website doesn’t give any measurements, so I’m going with 1oz ouzo and 1/2oz water and a single cube in my Glencairn Rocks Glass. The result is a milky white similar to an absinthe louche; smells more or less the same, anise, cinnamon, clove. The taste is somehow fuller despite the dilution with big bold flavors of anise, cinnamon, cardamom, and clove on a silky medium body. The finish is more or less the same as before but stronger and with absolutely no burn. Overall I definitely prefer it this way, more of the aromatics, less of the sweetness but it’s still there.
I just so happen to have homemade sour cherry preserves on hand so I figured I’d give this one a try didn’t have cinnamon or ginger for garnish, but I added ~1/8th tsp ground cinnamon to the shaker and muddled with the jam. Looks kind of like a Bloody Mary, smells of cinnamon, anise, and lime. The taste is fruity and spiced and everything nice with flavors of cinnamon, cherry, anise, lime, and cardamom. This cocktail is absolutely delicious and works with the anise while embellishing the cinnamon undertones the really make the ouzo the star in an unexpected way.
So a Google search of ouzo cocktails gives mostly results for lemondrops and other lemon based drinks, so I figured I’d just make an ouzo lemon sour (leaving out bitters and egg white) and see how it goes. The result is a cloudy off white with a light foamy head, smells of anise and lemon. The taste is sweet and essentially lemonade with licorice notes underneath a silky smooth medium body. The finish is long and aromatic, featuring notes of lemon zest, anise, cinnamon, and cardamom. Overall, not the most amazing cocktail ever but a fun riff on the sour that’s well balanced and refreshing.