TENTOURA VANTANA is the famous liqueur of Patras.
Its name is possibly a derivative of the Latin word “tinctura”, which means tincture. According to tradition, its origin dates back to the 15th century, the Venetian occupation era.
Panagiotis Vantanas was a pioneer in the production of Tentoura.
At the port of Patras, he always discovered tiny Gems coming from the East.
Cloves from Indonesia, cinnamon from Ceylon, nutmeg from India: these were his main raw materials, among others, in his original Tentoura recipe.
After continuous efforts, driven by his love for distillery, he managed to create exceptional drinks and an outstanding Tentoura.
In the past, Patras locals used to called it “moschovolithra” (fragrant), because of its amazing aroma.
In the 20th century it became a traditional drink of Patras. Many got their Tentoura from Panagiotis Vantanas’s distillery at Gerokostopoulou Street, in the Markato area of Patras. In their social events, they partied drinking Vantana Tentoura.
They served it with almonds and walnuts, chocolate treats, lokum and dried fruit like dates, figs, plums and apricots. After meal, Tentoura was enjoyed as a digestif.
Panagiotis Vantanas produced his classic Tentoura for many years, but in 1950 he also created a special Tentoura for his close friends and regular customers.
TENTOURA VANTANA CLASSIC and TENTOURA VANTANA 1950 ESPECIAL, with certified and reserved Protected Geographical Indication, are the national and international ambassadors of this fantastic drink and celebrate Patras as their traditional birthplace.
These are two different recipes, based on the soaking of cinnamon bark and cloves, as well as other herbs and spices, with a mild presence of citrus fruit, in an alcoholic solution.
This solution is enriched with top quality aged Mavrodaphne of Patras - a sweet red wine of protected designation of origin - to enhance the colour, soften the flavour, balance the contrast and add wine sweetness to the drink.
