Corfu and Crete Kanelada (Κανελάδα)

Kanelada belongs to Corfu and Crete, a cinnamon syrup so dark it looks almost like sour cherry cordial in the glass. It isn't a lemon drink with cinnamon thrown in. It is cinnamon first: bark, water, sugar, a little lemon at the end, served cold over ice in summer or warm when the weather turns.

The method is plain, but don't rush the simmer. Cinnamon gives its deep color and clean warmth slowly. Boil it hard and the syrup turns sharp at the edges, with all perfume and no body. Keep it low, let the bark stain the water red, then sweeten it only after the infusion has done its work.

I like this drink because it shows how a Greek kitchen keeps refreshment without fuss. One bottle in the refrigerator, a few glasses, cold water, and the table is ready for an afternoon outside. Λίγα και καλά: a few things, and good ones.