Mastika

Chios Mastiha Liqueur

Chios Mastiha Ouzo (left) and Mastiha Liqueur (right)
Type	liqueur
Country of origin	Greece
Region of origin	Chios
Alcohol by volume	>15% or 47%[citation needed]
Colour	transparent crystal clear to yellowish
Flavour	mastic
Ingredients	water, alcohol, sugar, mastic

Mastika or mastiha is a liqueur seasoned with mastic, a resin with a slightly pine or cedar-like flavor gathered from the mastic tree, a small evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region. In Greece, mastiha (Greek: μαστίχα) or mastichato (Greek: μαστιχάτο) is a sweet liqueur produced with the mastika resin from the Greek island of Chios, which is distilled after hardening to crystals.^[1][2] Sugar is typically added. It is a sweet liqueur that is typically consumed at the end of a meal. It has a distinctive flavor, reminiscent of pine and herbs. It is claimed to have medicinal properties and to aid digestion.^[3]

In August of 2012, wildfires spread across the island of Chios, scorching 31,480 acres (12,740 ha) and destroying more than half of the island's mastic orchards. Because the product has a "protected designation of origin" from the European Union, the fire not only impacted local Chios farmers, who lost approximately 60 percent of their crops, but also derailed the global supply of the product.^[4]