Since ancient Greece and Rome, Greek Mastiha, a treasured ingredient, has long been enjoyed as a gum. Effie Panagopoulos has reimagined this historic resin, transforming it into a contemporary drink, KLEOS Mastiha Spirit. Greece’s superfood, Mastiha, originally from Chios Island, is now reaching global markets in liquor form, driven by the first Greek woman liquor brand owner.
Panagopoulos, a Greek-American from the East Coast and currently based in Los Angeles, has been in the liquor business for over 20 years. She saw potential in Mastiha when she first savored it during her time on Mykonos Island in the summer of 2008. “Greece has fallen off the map when it comes to cocktails. I saw KLEOS Mastiha Spirit as an opportunity to make Greece relevant in bars again. It’s a universally loved flavor,” Panagopoulos said.
KLEOS Mastiha Spirit comprises five ingredients: neutral grain spirit, Mastiha resin, Mastiha essential oil, sugar, and water. “Kleos Mastiha Spirit is the only double-distilled, small-batch, low-sugar Mastiha drink on the market. Most brands are cloyingly sweet but KLEOS is balanced,” Panagopoulos said. Mastiha is usually consumed as a shot in Greece, but Panagopoulos wanted to create a product served on the rocks, as a base, or simply as a cocktail ingredient.
“We’re the sole Greek brand on the Royal Caribbean cruise line,” she notes. “Achieving these milestones is thrilling. I aim for KLEOS Mastiha Spirit to dominate sales in the US and worldwide,” Panagopoulos added.