An old liquor

The mastic was very much appreciated in West Asia and was used as a gum, smoking and tobacco mixture, as stains and even as a flavor for spirits.
It is about the resin that is still obtained from mastic, a low, branched bush, typical of the Mediterranean, for its reddish flowers, small leathery leaves and red or black stone fruits.
The whole plant has a strong resinous scent.
It was probably exactly this smell, similar to that of the terpentine, which already made the plant known as a remedy in ancient times.

- some leaves and ripe fruits of mastic
- 1 liter of Grappa
- 2 tbsp of sugar

Add a few branches including leaves and ripe fruit for one month in a liter of Grappa. After appropriate filtering and aging (two months), the Grappa takes a pink color and a resinous scent.
Two tablespoons of sugar softens the resinous flavor that characterizes this Grappa.