Self-Described Gin and Tonic Fan Chef José Andrés Recommends This Cocktail That Will ‘Haunt You Forever’
Chef José Andrés shared a riff on the gin and tonic featuring an herbal liqueur from the Mediterranean. (Photo: AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
Chowhound reported on Monday that Chef José Andrés, a self-professed fan of the gin and tonic, is a fan of a Mediterranean riff on the cocktail that will “haunt you forever,” according to his new cookbook, which focuses on Mediterranean cuisine.
The cocktail features a liqueur called mastiha, which is derived from plant resin from the mastic tree. The outlet reports that sap from the plant is mixed with alcohol and sugar. Mastiha is often served as a digestif and hosts plenty of herbaceous flavors.
Chowhound reports that a drier, higher-proof mastiha is made by distilling the sap and alcohol.
Andrés claims this cocktail-friendly mastiha has flavors and aromas of “mint, lavender and chamomile,” in his newest cookbook “Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey and Lebanon.”
Andrés recommends mixing dry mastiha, citrus juice and a bit of tonic water for an herbaceous riff on the classic gin and tonic.
More about Chef José Andrés
José Andrés is Spanish-born and immigrated to the United States in 1991. On his website, he claims that he considers himself a Spanish immigrant in addition to an American citizen. Andrés views himself as a bit of a “culinary ambassador” representing both countries.
He runs 31 different restaurants and is the only chef in the world to have both a two-star Michelin restaurant and four Bib Gourmands, according to his biography for his series of restaurants called The Bazaar.
Andrés is additionally known for his humanitarian work, and in 2010 he founded World Central Kitchen to provide food relief to communities facing disaster around the world. The chef recently made headlines in light of a tragedy that took place when aid workers were attacked during an Israeli drone strike in Gaza.
The foreign aid workers were set to deliver food to civilians in the area afflicted by violence from the Israel-Hamas war.
The New York Post reported on Sunday that the Israeli Defence Forces initiated an investigation claiming it was a mistake and that a military officer believed Hamas terrorists were operating from within the charity worker’s vehicles, and ordered the strike.
Andrés was skeptical of the attack and the IDF’s claims.
“I think IDF knows better than anybody that they can be a better army,” the chef said according to the Post.
The chef went on to condemn Israel’s attacks on civilians, which include allegations of the country using white phosphorous according to Al Jazeera. In a 2023 article, the outlet reported the use of such a substance is a war crime. The IDF denied it was using such a substance.
“This doesn’t seem like a war against terror, this doesn’t seem anymore a war about defending Israel. Really, at this point, it seems it’s a war against humanity itself,” Andrés concluded to The Post.
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