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George nearly smiles and pours me a shot of ouzo, a Greek aperitif flavored with star anise.

Then it would usually take shared meals and some ouzo, Greece’s ubiquitous anise-flavored spirit for the fishers to trust him.

An island once known for its unspoiled beaches and local ouzo was now something closer to a holding center.

The better-known anise-flavored spirit from Greece is ouzo, but the even more aromatic tsipouro, made from a grape-based neutral alcohol, is often flavored with aniseed, and is just as popular in the Greek Islands.

Maybe I’m naïve, but I don’t believe that most American wine consumers are stymied by memories of ouzo, an anise spirit that was often handed out liberally in shtick-heavy Greek restaurants after meals.