Some of the topics we discuss in this lively conversation with bartender-turned-entrepreneur Effie Panagopoulos include:

• How Effie’s career took her from being an east coast bartender to a west-coast spirits rep for some of the biggest brands in the world and what she learned by watching the cocktail renaissance unfold in San Francisco.
• The way a chance bar visit in Greece transported her back to the flavors of her childhood, reigniting her passion for Mastiha and inspiring her to launch her own brand.
• Some of the ins and outs of designing a formula, including debates about distillate bases, cleaning sticky stills, and navigating the Greek distilling industry.
• Why Mastiha has its own protected geographic designation – which takes us into some interesting geographical and geological rabbit holes pertaining to the isle of Chios, where Mastic resin is harvested.
• How the unique properties of this flavoring agent can also pull double duty in the health and wellness realm.
• Why KLEOS has come to be called “bartender’s olive oil”
• And much, much more