New Drinks To Put A Spring In Your Step

Axia is a spirit distilled from the resin of the mastic tree found on the Greek island of Chios. While the resin has been harvested and used by the Greeks for at least 2,500 years, Axia is the first extra-dry and unsweetened mastiha, which boasts fewer calories per serving than vodka and gin.

The dried resin is harvested and sorted by hand before being double distilled at Plomari in Lesbos, Greece, by master distiller Maroussa Tsachaki.

In Greek, the word Axia means ‘value’ or ‘worth’, which is fitting as in Ancient Greece, mastika crystals were so precious they were used as currency. The bottle, designed by American artist Zoe Keller, also incorporates the origins of the spirit. Each element on the label reflects Axia’s heritage and ingredients, depicting the branches of the mastic tree, mastic tree seeds and the snakes that inhabited Chios Island.

Axia is a versatile spirit with notes of rose, cypress, citrus, and bergamot. As it is unsweetened, and just £33 for a bottle, it makes an excellent base for a spring cocktail that calls for a white rum, gin or vodka, such as a Margarita, Negroni or Bloody Mary.