Current Cocktails from Ancient Civilizations
What ancient brews were served at the funeral feast of King Midas, or his father Gordius, around 700 B.C? Which delicious elixirs were Socrates and his pupil Plato likely imbibing as they wrestled over ethics at those famous drinking parties in ancient Greece?
Cocktails aside, alcohol has also been used for medicinal purposes, religious ceremonies, and artistic inspiration for as far back as 7,000 B.C. Greek philosophy grew out of the famous symposia of ancient Greece, where men celebrated athletic feats and read poetry as their cups overflowed with wine. The early fermented alcohols seem to be heavy on a fermented honey called mead, sometimes called the “nectar of the gods.”
At Mezzeterranean, we honor that heritage by creating updated cocktails and serving wines that appeal to the modern palette. We use liqueurs indigenous to Turkey, Italy, Greece and and then add tinctures and syrups with spices from Morocco, Lebanon, and Turkey.
A Glossary of our Unique Ingredients
Aperol — an Italian bitters apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange hue. Invented in 1919, it is the quintessential Italian apéritif and adds both color and flavor to our Ruins of Pompei.
Blood Orange — the blood orange is a natural mutation of the orange and is produced in Sicily and around Valencia in Spain. You will discover the Solerno Liqueur in the Oracle of Delphi
Butterfly Pea Tea Flower — commonly known as Blue Tea, is a caffeine-free herbal tea, or tisane, beverage made from a decoction or infusion of the flower petals or even whole flower of the Clitoria ternatea plant. One of the aspects of the tea is the fact that the liquid changes color based on the pH level of the substance added to it, for instance, adding lemon juice to the tea will turn it purple. We serve this as a large ice cube in Pandora’s Box and it does change color with the addition of the citrus in the drink.
Cardamom — written about in the Ancient Greek City-State of Mycenae, Cardamom has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic, resinous fragrance. Black cardamom has a distinctly more smoky, though not bitter, aroma, with a coolness some consider similar to mint. If you jump on the Marrakesh Expresso, you will smell and taste the cardamom providing the smoky, and unmistakably flavor of the Bedouin traders who brought this spice from Asia to the Mediterranean.
Elderflower— made from the flowers of the European elder. Versions of an elderflower cordial recipe can be traced to Roman times. It plays a supporting role in our Oedipus Complex cocktail… maybe it was his nickname for Jocasta; one can only speculate.
Italicus — Italicus is a Rosolio, an Italian liqueur made with rose petals dating back to the 15th century. Made at a family-owned distillery in Moncalieri, Torino, it begins with bergamot from the Calabrian region and cedro from Sicily. You will taste it in the Ruins of Pompei cocktail.
Limoncello— an Italian lemon liqueur traditionally produced in Southern Italy and is a key ingredient in Juno’s Revenge.
Mastiha — is a liqueur flavored with mastic distillate or mastic oil from the Greek island of Chios. Mastic is the hardened sap harvested from the mastic tree, a small evergreen shrub that grows on rocky terrain on the southern part of the island. We think you’ll love the Cassandra’s Tears that features this unique Greek liqueur.
Metaxa — is a Greek amber spirit created by Spyros Metaxa in 1888. Its taste comes from the combination of Muscat wines from the island of Samos, aged wine distillates, and Mediterranean botanicals. Although it was first compared to Cognac, and later to brandy, Metaxa is not classified in either of these spirit categories due to the presence of the Muscat wines and the Mediterranean botanicals. It is an integral liquor in the Oedipus Complex.
Mezcal — is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. Typically produced in Mexico and with a distinct smoky flavor, Mezcal is believed to have been born of Spanish Conquistadors’ introducing fermentation of the agave heart in the New World. This the heart of the Trojan Horse.
Naranja — is the authentic orange liqueur used in the original Margarita. It is gentle and intense, warm and refreshing, bitter and sweet, all at once and it is served in Pandora’s Box.
Pink Peppercorns — is a dried berry of the shrub commonly known as the Peruvian peppertree. It provides both a tangy and spicy taste to our Persephone’s Abduction.
Tepache — is a fermented beverage made from the peel and the rind of pineapples, and is sweetened with piloncillo, seasoned with powdered cinnamon, cloves and other middle eastern spices. Though tepache is fermented for several days, the resulting drink does not contain much alcohol. It is part of our Trojan Horse.
Yuzu — is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin and provides both tanginess and smoothness to Juno’s Revenge.
Za’atar — is a culinary herb or family of herbs. It is also the name of a spice mixture that includes the herb along with toasted sesame seeds, dried sumac, salt, as well as other spices and adds an earthy and vegetal twist to our Trojan Horse.
