Still Spirits Ouzo essence, how to make ouzo at home

Ouzo is one of those drinks that people either love or won't go near, and the ones who love it tend to love it because of how it gets served rather than because of the spirit on its own. It's meant to be drunk slowly, with water or ice, alongside food, over a long afternoon, and it behaves completely differently if you treat it like a shot.

The milky trick, and why it happens

Add water to ouzo and it turns from clear to cloudy white. That's not a gimmick and nobody has added anything to make it do that. The aniseed oil dissolves happily in alcohol and doesn't dissolve in water, so when you dilute it the oil comes out of solution as tiny droplets and the whole glass goes opaque. It's worth knowing because it's also a rough honesty check. A glass that won't cloud at all hasn't got much aniseed oil in it.

Making it

The Still Spirits ouzo flavouring goes into a neutral base at the ratio printed on the bottle, and that's the whole job. Mix it, leave it a day and then serve it cold. I wouldn't bother trying to age it or oak it, because aniseed is the point of the drink and anything you put over the top of it is just going to get in the way.

It's worth saying, because somebody always asks. Flavouring a bought neutral base isn't distilling and there's no ATO excise licence in it at all. If you're distilling the base yourself that's a federal manufacturer licence through the ATO, and it's a separate question to this one.

How to serve it

• Cold, with a splash of water. Ice in the glass with the water poured over it, and let it cloud before you drink it.
• With something salty. Olives, cheese, bread and oil. It was built to be drunk with food and it shows.
• Take your time over it. The whole point of the drink is that it lasts an hour, and it's not pleasant hurried.
• Well diluted. More water than you think, because it's strong stuff and the aniseed carries a long way.

Shop related products

• Still Spirits Black Sambuca. The other big aniseed spirit, darker and sweeter.
• Still Spirits Italiano Essence. A sweeter Italian style if the dry aniseed is too stern for you.
• Still Spirits Citrus Vodka. A clean citrus flavouring for the people at the table who won't touch aniseed.
• Still Spirits Turbo Yeast. Yeast for the wash, if you're making your own base.

Did you know the Still Spirits Ouzo essence itself is one we keep in the shop, along with the 1125ml spirit bottles. They are not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf.

More on this

• How to flavour a spirit at home with essences
• How to use spirit essences at home
• How to host a tasting night with your own spirits

Not sure which one suits what you actually drink? Brewhilder will narrow it down, or have a look through the homebrew collection.

I'm reliably the one at the table who puts too much water in and then complains that it's weak.

Candeece

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