Ouzo No. 12

As a Greek- American, this bottle hits home in a special way. All throughout my childhood, one of the few things I could count on ALWAYS being around was a bottle of Ouzo on the counter, usually dusty and left over from the annual Greek Easter festivities (something I was convinced was an excuse to drink Ouzo). You're likely familiar with the beverage style, if not from Ouzo directly than from one of its anise-flavored cousins like Arak, Raki, Pastis, etc. It gets beautifully cloudy when diluted, and has intensely energetic flavors of licorice, mint, and fennel. Drink well-chilled with cold water, and you can almost hear the Greeks yelling about taxes. PS, use Ouzo as less-potent substitute for Absinthe in classic cocktails like the Sazerac. Nobody has to know.