ouzini

{{short description|Mixed drink using only ingredients from Cyprus}}

{{Infobox cocktail

| iba = no

| name = Ouzini

| sourcelink =

| image =

| caption =

| type = cocktail

| flaming =

| ouzo = yes

| aperol =

| carbonated water =

| served = rocks

| garnish =

| drinkware = highball

| ingredients =

• 2.5 cl (one part) Cyprus ouzo
• 7.5 cl (three parts) fresh orange juice
• 2.5 cl (one part) fresh lemon juice
• 2-4 drops of bitters

| prep = Shake ouzo and fresh juices vigorously together, coat the rim of a glass with powdered sugar and pour drink into glass over ice, and add dash of bitters. Garnish with a thin orange slice and serve.

| notes =

| footnotes =

}}

The ouzini is a mixed alcoholic cocktail invented by the novelist Michael Paraskos as an alternative national drink of Cyprus to the ubiquitous brandy sour.{{cite news|author=Michael Paraskos|title=A perfect sundowner to replace the tired old brandy sour|work=The Cyprus Mail|date=19 April 2015|url=http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/04/19/a-perfect-sundowner-to-replace-the-tired-old-brandy-sour/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419151500/http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/04/19/a-perfect-sundowner-to-replace-the-tired-old-brandy-sour/|archive-date=19 April 2015}}Lucie Robson, 'A good story will be the Ouzini's strongest ingredient', in The Cyprus Weekly (Cyprus newspaper), 1 May 2015

Using only native Cypriot ingredients, including Cypriot ouzo, the drink was invented in response to a campaign launched in 2014 by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation to encourage restaurants in Cyprus to offer customers Cypriot cuisine.{{cite news|author=Evie Andreou|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-377157247.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911012000/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-377157247.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 September 2016|title=A foodie destination|publisher=The Cyprus Mail|date=3 August 2014}} According to Paraskos the drink tastes "like liquid aniseed balls", referring to the traditional boiled sweet, and is "ideal for a hot Cypriot evening before dinner."

The drink is featured heavily in Michael Paraskos's novel In Search of Sixpence.Michael Paraskos, In Search of Sixpence (London: Friction Fiction)