Born and raised in Spain, José Andrés, known for his role in the founding of the World Central Kitchen, knows a thing or two about mixing a good cocktail. In his latest cookbook, “Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes From Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon,” he delves into all the classic Mediterranean recipes he grew up with, foods and drinks alike. In one of the pages, he spoke of his fondness for the “gintonic” (as Spaniards like to call the gin and tonic) — and how this love affair eventually led him to uncover a rare and exponentially more flavorful variation of the classic drink: the Mastiha and Tonic.
Even if you’re a hardcore cocktail enthusiast, you might not have heard of mastiha before, considering how hard it is to come by outside of the Mediterranean. Also known as “mastika liqueur,” this Greek liqueur imparts an herbal, woody flavor to whatever drink you add it to due to having plant resin added to it. Combined with the slightly bitter quinine of the tonic water, the result is a cocktail that’s a bouquet of different herbal, grassy notes that make for a pretty unique tasting experience.