Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Some clichés are clichés for a good reason. So yes, if you think of an apple strudel you think of Vienna, that dough filled with sweet-tart apple pieces, fine breadcrumbs, rum-soaked raisins, ground cinnamon, lemon juice and icing sugar. It was served with whipped cream and a Wiener melange – an espresso with steamed milk, topped off with milk froth.

Diluted, we took the Orient Express from Vienna to Athens, enjoying Kalamata olives followed by a Greek meze platter with plenty of pita bread, feta and tzatziki. All this was washed down with a mastiha liqueur, made using the resin from the mastic tree on the island of Chios.