Same bottle, two completely unrelated interpretations—that's what makes "From Chios to Taipei" such an intriguing project. The star is Skinos Mastiha Spirit from Greece's Chios Island, built around the region's prized Mastiha tree resin. The taste is a distinctive weave of herbal, pine, and resinous notes—so recognizable it's no wonder Taipei's Testing Room and The Public House approached it with entirely different logic.
Testing Room's approach treats cocktails like perfume. Drawing from Mastiha resin's history in incense and fragrance-making, they borrowed the classic "top note, heart note, base note" structure to reimagine four signature cocktails. The entry-level Skinos Rickey keeps it simple with just fresh lime juice and soda water, letting the herbal and mineral qualities shine through—arguably the most straightforward way to meet this spirit. Next up is Garrigue, named after the perfume term for the aromatic landscape of Mediterranean scrubland, combining Skinos with sherry, rosemary, and pink peppercorn to build layers from botanical to woody. Aegean Sillage borrows the concept of a fragrance's "trail," opening with grapefruit's slight bitterness, moving through guava and a hint of creaminess, and closing with vetiver's earthy finish. Chios Tini is the heavyweight of the lineup, bringing together Skinos, gin, rye whiskey, and jasmine tea for a decidedly grounded profile.
The Public House: Steeping Taiwanese Tea and Fruit into Mastiha Spirit
In contrast, The Public House keeps the bones of classic cocktails intact, packing in flavors familiar to every Taiwanese palate one by one. Wenshan Pouchong tea, red oolong, red beans, watermelon, pineapple, cacao husks, and Kyoho grapes all play supporting roles. Layover Martini uses the 50/50 Martini structure to connect three cities—Barcelona, Chios, and Taipei—with the key twist being smoked cherry tomato water, which adds a savory-salty finish to the gin's citrus notes. Aegean Highball steeps Wenshan Pouchong tea into Skinos, then pairs it with shochu and watermelon soda, making it the lightest of the eight drinks on offer. Glaze Gimlet folds red oolong, red beans, and clarified pineapple juice into a Gimlet, leaning noticeably toward dessert territory. For those craving something bolder, go straight for the Murex Old Fashioned—dark rum paired with cacao husk-distilled white rum and Kyoho grapes, finishing thick and almost syrupy.
The two bars share no overlap in approach, yet together they pull the same Greek mastiha spirit into two completely different pictures—one evokes Mediterranean scrubland and a perfume counter, the other conjures Taiwanese bubble tea stands and traditional dessert cases.
The collaboration runs from August 1 to August 31, 2026, with Testing Room and The Public House each offering four cocktails. Order all four Skinos limited cocktails at one table and receive a complimentary 50ml bottle of Skinos Mastiha Spirit—limited to 25 bottles per bar, while supplies last. Please check with each venue on-site for detailed menu pricing.
