An Oxford graduate has won awards for his start-up liqueur company Mastiha World

George Economides, Founder and MD of Mastiha World, is going from strength to strength since he founded the start-up company Mastiha World in August 2014.

George graduated from Teddy Hall, Oxford with a First in Chemistry and a full Oxford Blue, before going on to complete a DPhil in 2013.

A herbal Greek liqueur with 25 centuries of history is taking the UK by storm, and is appearing in top cocktail bars, restaurants and events across the country.

The award-winning Mastiha Enosis is now part of the cocktail list at London’s prestigious The Ivy, and is a favourite at Raoul’s and the Lighthouse in Oxford.

Mastiha is made from the resin of mastiha trees, which grow exclusively in the southern end of the Greek island of Chios.

Villagers have been harvesting mastiha resin “tears” since the at least the 5^th Century BC, but until now this precious liqueur was largely unknown outside of Greece.

George has an Oxford Blue in Dancesport

He decided to reject the offer of a well-paid but mundane consultancy desk job, and after organising a stag do in Chios was inspired to start producing and exporting Mastiha to the UK.

“A nine-to-five just did not appeal to me. I needed something that I believed in, something new and exciting yet historic and classy. Rather than working for a large corporation, I wanted to get stuck in helping Greek economy while improving the perception of Greek products.”

He bases his company in Oxford, and currently works from The Hatch on Little Clarendon Street.

This 30 per cent Abv herbal spirit has taken off on the cocktail scene, and is now outselling the other famous Greek spirit Ouzo from stockists who sell both.

Jonathan, a top bartender at Raoul’s in Oxford told the Tab: “Tikki is dead – distinct, strong and spicy cocktails are expected to replace fruity mixes topped with pineapples and umbrellas.”

Crystals of Mastiha ‘tears’, harvested by villagers

George believes there is a demand for this versatile drink in the modern alcohol market. The complex herbal and woody flavour is unique to Mastiha, and is used in a range of products (chewing gum, confectionary, halva, cookies, honey, pasta, coffee, soft drinks etc etc) as well as Mastiha liqueurs.

Mastiha cocktails have been served at a number of Oxford college balls.

Students at Pembroke College Ball 2015 enjoyed Mastijitos, a herbal twist on an old classic

James Richardson, the Food & Drink Manager at Pembroke Ball 2015, said: “Mastiha were one of our most popular stalls and I would recommend them to anyone who was looking to host an event of this kind. Many of our guests had not tried Mastiha’s products before but we have had rave reviews across the board.”

In the drinks industry, there is a worldwide shift towards quality rather than quantity, with UK being the world’s capital of the cocktail culture.

George said: “I see Mastiha becoming as established as Pisco or Amareto.. A luxurious product that offers people a tasting experience and bartenders a tool to express their creativity.”