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The Fabled Pour
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Cyprus

I have one sourced drink connected to Cyprus. The label on each card says how: where it began, what the country is known for, what people drink there, or where the origin is disputed.

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Cyprus on the world map. Boundaries are generalized Natural Earth data.

Drinks of Cyprus

Signature drinks and regional ones, with the evidence behind each. A drink marked non-alcoholic has no alcohol in the traditional serve.

  • Illustration of Cypriot Brandy Sour: clear pale amber-gold, fizzy, iced-tea-like, in a tall highball glass.

    Cypriot Brandy Sour

    Troodos hills, Plátres

    IconicSignature drink

    A long highball of Cypriot brandy, lemon squash and a few drops of bitters, topped with soda water or lemonade. Wikipedia gives 5 cl brandy and 2.5 cl lemon squash with 2 to 4 drops of bitters. It is served over ice, usually with sugar on the rim and a maraschino cherry.

    Visit Cyprus says it was created at one of the oldest hotels in the Troodos mountains, and Wikipedia names the Forest Park Hotel in Plátres and a barman, Mr Sourmelis. The story is that it was made for King Farouk of Egypt to look like iced tea. Dates differ: Wikipedia puts the style in the early 1930s, Visit North Cyprus says the 1930s, and Visit Cyprus says the early fifties. Wikipedia says the iced-tea part is doubted because a cited biography says Farouk did not drink alcohol.

    Made with: Cypriot brandy, lemon squash or fresh lemon, Angostura or local bitters, soda water or lemonade, ice.

    Confidence: highEvidence: en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab), visitcyprus.com (opens in a new tab), visitncy.com (opens in a new tab), thespirits.substack.com (opens in a new tab)

Map data: Natural Earth, public domain.