Rakı: Türkiye's National Drink — A Complete Guide (2026)

Quick Answer: Rakı (pronounced rah-KUH ) is Türkiye's national spirit — a clear, anise-flavoured drink distilled from grapes and flavoured with aniseed. It's around 45-50% ABV , always served over ice and diluted with cold water (which turns it milky white, earning its nickname "aslan sütü" — lion's milk ). Rakı is a ritual, not a shot: it's sipped slowly across a long meze table, ideally seafood, and a proper rakı meal can last 4-5 hours. If you order a rakı in an Istanbul meyhane without knowing what to do next, the waiter will politely orchestrate the ritual for you. But knowing the etiquette in advance turns a novelty drink into one of the most memorable evenings of your Turkish trip. Here's the full guide. What Exactly Is Rakı Made From? Rakı is a twice-distilled spirit produced primarily from fresh or dried grapes (raisin rakı is called üzüm rakısı ), sometimes blended with figs. The distillate is then re-distilled with anise seeds — this is what gives rakı its unmistakable liquorice-like aroma and, more famously, its milky "louche" effect when water is added. The market-dominant brands are Yeni Rakı (green label, the classic), Tekirdağ Rakısı (blue label, cleaner and more premium), Efe Rakı and Beylerbeyi . Tekirdağ is the industry benchmark for many drinkers — smoother, less aggressively aniseed. Why Is Rakı Called "Lion's Milk"? Add cold water to a glass of rakı and it instantly turns opaque, milky white. This is the "ouzo effect" — the anethole molecules from the aniseed are soluble in alcohol but not in water, so when you dilute, they form microscopic droplets that scatter light. The Turks named this phenomenon aslan sütü — lion's milk — because in Ottoman slang a "lion" ( aslan ) meant a brave, virile man. It's the drink of lions; the milky colour is the poetry. How Do You Actually Drink Rakı? The Ritual, Step by Step Order a duble (double, ~70ml) or tek (single, ~35ml). A tall, narrow glass arrives. Pour rakı to about one-third of the glass. Add cold wa