Katerina's Kouzina - Authentic Greek Recipes and more

Evil Eye Valentine Cocktail

Valentine’s Day is coming soon and love will be celebrated internationally. A few years ago, I wrote a Valentines blog about the love between my parents, a love that stayed alive all the 59 years that they were together. This blog in honour of Valentine’s Day is about a young couple that does not have such a long history together, but their love is as intense and powerful as the one of my parents. I am talking about my daughter Dora and her husband Vaggelis. Let me tell you how their love is the inspiration for this recipe: The Evil Eye Valentine Cocktail.

Greek wedding

For this young and recently married couple Valentine’s Day is even nicer to celebrate. Dora and Vaggelis married in 2021 on October 3rd during a beautiful Greek wedding at our Odyssey farm. We celebrated with all of our family, friends and the Odyssey family. We enjoyed lots of food and drinks next to the sea and among our beloved olive trees. We talked and danced, hugged and kissed. It was a wonderful time and we look back at it with a very happy feeling.

Protecting love

It makes me proud that my parent’s tradition to live a happy life together is continuing with our daughter. This Valentine the happy couple and all of you can celebrate with this special drink that Vaggelis has created; the Evil Eye Valentine Cocktail. This cocktail is about their love, and protecting this love by creating a beautiful evil eye …with alcohol!

Evil Eye

Let me first tell you about the evil eye: In Greece (and eastern Mediterranean) it’s a form of protective magic. *It is intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out superstition or out of tradition, as a good luck charms (perhaps some token of amulets or charm bracelets or gestures such as crossed fingers or knocking wood. Many different objects and charms were used for protection throughout history (* Wikipedia).

Now back to the cocktail, as Dora will continue:

“Very sweet mom, thank you very much. Let me add our part of the story!

My dear, sweet Vaggelis loves to make cocktails and is always in charge of them at Odyssey. One night, all of our friends were ready to go out with us but I wasn’t feeling so great and was ready to cancel. Vaggelis, who is always taking great care of me, making sure I am alright and that I have a great time, said: “You know what you must have gotten, the evil eye! Let me fix that for you.” He called my grandma to take the evil eye away from me.

Evil Eye Valentine Cocktail

As I was starting to feel better, Vaggelis remembered that Lynette, a dear friend of ours, had asked him to make his version of a blue cocktail. He got inspired and created this Evil Eye Cocktail. He told me that if I would drink it, the eye would protect me. I did, started to feel great again and we ended up going out with our friends and have a fantastic night!

You see, it’s not about the big things, it’s the small things that show every second of every day that he cares, always has my best interest at heart and makes me feel that I am the centre of his universe. I think that even if you don’t believe in the evil eye, if you think that it’s nothing more than a superstition, you should try this cocktail and make it for Valentine’s Day. For sure you will enjoy it and be happy!”

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