The alcoholic drink tsipouro may soon follow in the steps of feta cheese and become an exclusively Greek product after New Democracy MEP Yiannis Glavakis submitted a request in Brussels recently calling for the drink to be produced only in Greece.

Glavakis told Kathimerini yesterday that he handed in the amendment to the European Parliament, where talks are being held on EU rules regarding the description and presentation of alcoholic beverages.

“This is an opportunity, now that the law is changing, to secure the name tsipouro as a national product,” said Glavakis.

Tsipouro is a strongly distilled colorless spirit that contains about 45 percent alcohol and is produced from the must-residue of the wine-press.

The same spirit but with a stronger aroma is called tsikoudia in Crete.

The product’s lack of commercial appeal gives Greece a better chance to secure the name, added Glavakis.

“Once we secure it as a national product, then we can create the trend,” he said.