( el, ρακόμελο (or , from () + (), meaning "

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

") is a Greek mixed alcoholic drink. It is a digestive spirit, traditionally used by many Greeks as a

home remedy Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

for a sore throat or cough.

Types

is made by combining or - two types of grape pomace brandy - with

and several spices, such as

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are rec ...

, or other regional herbs. It is produced in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

and other islands of the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...

and on the Greek mainland, chiefly consumed during the winter as a warm drink. Rakomelo can be found as a bottled mixed drink in liquor stores, ready to be served. A similar drink is baked , which is a regional drink of the island of

Amorgos Amorgos ( el, Αμοργός, ; ) is the easternmost island of the Cyclades island group and the nearest island to the neighboring Dodecanese island group in Greece. Along with 16 neighboring islets, the largest of which (by land area) is Niko ...

, known as , made from , sugar and spices, and served at room temperature. Baked contains more spices than , which usually only contains cinnamon. Baked is also available mixed and bottled, ready for consumption (served at room temperature).

Composition

A general recipe for is 1–2 teaspoons of honey for every 4 shots of , along with one clove and about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, modified to suit different tastes.

Notes

Greek cuisine Mixed drinks Distilled drinks Cretan cuisine {{mixed-drink-stub