Kid-friendly Great Greek Lion Libation Recipe - Sticky Fingers Cooking
over 1,000 kid-approved recipes coming soon! save your flavorites
Recipes
/
Recipe: Great Greek Lion Libation

Recipe: Great Greek Lion Libation

Great Greek Lion Libation

by Dylan Sabuco
Photo by Kerdkanno/Shutterstock.com
prep time
5 minutes
cook time
5 minutes
makes
4-6 servings

Fun Food Story

Skip to recipe

Great Greek Lion Libation

This drink combines the distinctive licorice flavor of anise with the sweet crispness of white grape juice. The result? A dash of Mediterranean magic!

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

  • measure :

    to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

  • pour :

    to cause liquid, granules, or powder to stream from one container into another.

  • simmer :

    to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.

Equipment Checklist

  • Medium saucepan
  • Pitcher
  • Liquid measuring cup
  • Dry measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Wooden spoon
  • Strainer
scale
1X
2X
3X
4X
5X
6X
7X

Ingredients

Great Greek Lion Libation

  • 1 C water
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 1 tsp anise seed OR 2 whole star anise
  • 3 C white grape juice
  • ice

Instructions

Great Greek Lion Libation

1.
measure + boil

Measure 1 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon anise seed in a medium saucepan. Then, bring the mixture to a boil to create the anise-flavored simple syrup to flavor the drink. While it boils, go to the next step.

2.
add + stir

Measure 3 cups white grape juice and pour into a pitcher. Then, return to the simple syrup. After 5 minutes of the syrup boiling, remove it from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Then, place a strainer over the pitcher and pour the syrup through the strainer. Stir to combine the two liquids.

3.
measure + pour

Add 1 cup ice to each cup. Then, pour the drink into each cup. Say a big “Stin ygeiá mas” (Stin ee-YAH mahs) or "Cheers" (literally, "to our health") in Greek!

Let's Learn About Greece!

Photo by NadyaEugene/Shutterstock.com

Ancient Greece

  • Ancient Greece was a civilization in the northeastern Mediterranean region that existed from about 1100 BCE to 600 CE. Democracy began there in Athens in the 5th century BCE.
  • The first Olympics were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the plains of Olympia. Ancient Olympic sports included running, chariot racing, mule-cart racing, boxing, discus throw, long jump, wrestling, and pankration, a wild cross between wrestling and boxing with no rules except biting and eye-gouging!
  • A few of the well-known figures from this period were: Alexander the Great, who ruled over the whole empire from 336 to 323 BCE; Hippocrates, a physician referred to as the Father of Medicine; Herodotus, called the Father of History, who wrote his "Histories" about the Greco-Persian wars; Socrates, considered the founder of Western Philosophy; Plato, an author and philosopher who founded the first academy of higher learning in the West; Aristotle, a student of Plato's who also founded a school of philosophy; and Thales, a mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece.  

Modern Greece

  • Greece, in Southeast Europe, is officially called the Hellenic Republic. Its government is a unitary parliamentary republic with a president, prime minister, and parliament. The capital and largest city is Athens, and the official language is Greek.
  • Greece declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821 and was recognized as an independent country in 1830. 
  • The size of Greece is about the same as the US state of Alabama but has twice as many people, over 10.5 million. 
  • The country of Greece consists of 6,000 islands, but only 227 are inhabited. Nearly 80 percent of the country is hills and mountains. 
  • About four-fifths of the people live in urban areas in Greece, and almost everyone is literate.
  • Greece has three times the number of annual tourists (about 31 million) as residents. It is one of the most-visited countries.
  • Greece is the third-largest producer of peaches and the fifth-largest producer of olives in the world. 
  • In the past, most Greeks were farmers, and they ate the food that they grew. Since Greece had a mild climate, they could grow many different fruits and vegetables as long as they got enough rain. Vegetables were a considerable part of the Greek diet and still are. Most Greeks eat a Mediterranean diet that includes plenty of olive oil, legumes, fruits, veggies, grains, and fish. They generally consume less dairy and meat.
  • Greek cuisine includes "fasolada" (soup of white beans, olive oil, and veggies), "moussaka" (eggplant or potato dish with ground or minced meat), "souvlaki" (grilled meat on a skewer), and "gyros" (pita bread filled with meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, veggies, and tzatziki sauce). 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Greece?

  • Greek kids have three stages of education: primary school for six years, gymnasium (junior high) for three years, and lyceum (senior high) for three years (this stage is not mandatory).
  • Kids may participate in sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, swimming, and handball. 
  • There are many museums and ancient sites to explore in Greece. Families love being outdoors and enjoy hiking and going to the many beaches. 
  • There are several different sweets that Greek children enjoy. These include "pasteli" (sesame seed candy), "bougatsa" and "galaktoboureko" (phyllo pastries filled with semolina custard), and "baklava" (nut-filled phyllo pastry soaked in a honey syrup).

That's Berry Funny

What spice always has to be the center of attention?

Star anise!

Lettuce Joke Around

Why aren't grapes ever lonely? 

Because they come in bunches!

Shop Our Cookbooks

Now available on Amazon! Our cookbooks feature kid-tested recipes that build confidence in the kitchen. Expand your child's palate and spark a love of healthy foods with a Sticky Fingers Cooking cookbook.
SHOP NOW

Subscribe to the Sticky Fingers Cooking mailing list

Subscribe to our newsletter, The Turnip, to receive exclusive discounts and updates, insider tips + tricks from our awesome team, and instant access to the Sticky Fingers Cooking Starter Kit for free!

"
X
Selling like hotcakes!
24 registered for a session in the last 24 hours