Calissa’s When in Crete. (Photo courtesy of Calissa)
The night temps are dropping… you’re starting to wear both a sweater and a jacket. It’s happening, people. Winter is coming.
But that’s okay. There are plenty of ways to warm up.
Water Mill’s Calissa has plenty of options, but we’ve been digging this fun, fast belly warmer, made with (what else?) tsipouro, a Greek grape distilled spirit similar to grappa. While both spirits take full advantage of a harvest by using the leftover grape pomace — skins, seed, etc., from the winemaking process — and, like grappa, can have other herb or flower flavoring elements in it. Tsipouro, though, is a little fruitier, clocks in around 40 to 45% alcohol by volume and must be distilled in Greece according to European Union law.
Calissa partner Tanya Saxon makes this easy, warming shooter (or sipper — you do you) for the fall and winter months, but if you’re looking for something fun around the fire pit, she shared her recipe with us here.
When in Crete
- 1 750 ml. bottle tsipouro
- 2 cups honey
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Pour the tsipouro into a large pot. Add in the honey and cinnamon sticks.
Heat over medium-low heat until the honey melts and the cinnamon becomes fragrant, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve warm in a shot glass. Stin yia mas!
Amy Zavatto is the Editor-in-Chief for southforker, northforker and Long Island Wine Press. She's a wine, spirits, and food journalist whose work appears in Wine Enthusiast, InsideHook.com, MarthaStewart.com, the New York Post, Liquor.com, SevenFifty Daily, Imbibe, Men’s Journal and many others. She's the author of The Big Book of Bourbon Cocktails, Prosecco Made Me Do It: 60 Seriously Sparkling Cocktails, Forager’s Cocktails: Botanical Mixology with Fresh, Natural Ingredients, and The Architecture of the Cocktail. She is a respected judge for the American Craft Spirits Association’s annual small-production spirits competition, and has moderated numerous panels on the topics of wine, spirits, cocktails, and regional foodways. She is the former Deputy Editor for the regional celebratory publications, Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn, as well as the former Executive Director of the Long Island Merlot Alliance. She is a member of the New York chapter of the international organization of women leaders in food, wine, and spirits, Les Dames d’Escoffier. The proud daughter of a butcher, Amy is originally from Shelter Island, N.Y., where she developed a deep respect for the East End’s natural beauty and the importance of preserving and celebrating it and its people.
