Whether you call it Rakia, Ouzo, Mastika or Raki, a small war has been brewing for generations across countries and cultures. Most drinkers of the world are familiar with Greek Ouzo, and maybe even a few dedicated tipplers like the strong anise flavor. The reality is most of the Mediterranean and Balkans claim this liquor as their creation and national drink. Greece just has better marketing and distribution.

Mint Mastika in Bulgaria

We were not fans of anise before this trip; we both hate licorice candies, and we have to say we are still not really excited about the flavor now. Granted, we cook with fennel or star anise and much of the food in this region uses these spices, often resulting in amazing dishes. However, after having an open mind and drinking these liquors, we are still not going to go buy bottles of it and proclaim ourselves converts to world of licorice and we will definitely not race to buy any Absinthe.

The origins of this drink seem to date into the Ottoman empire. There are rumors the names Raki (Turkish) or Ouzo (Greek) came from the labels on the packing crates that carried the liquors in trade between countries. The European Union has declared Ouzo a protected liqour: the drink can only be officially called Ouzo if it is distilled in Greece. Hence Italy has Grappas, Bulgaria has Mastika and Slivovitz comes from all over Eastern Europe, even though the liquor is almost identical. Please don’t let any Greeks know we said that.

Can you see the ice crystals in it?

Rakia is the sort of umbrella name for this spirit which is commonly a distilled grape wine, making brandy with an alcohol content of between 40% and 50%. Balkan countries like Bulgaria will use a variety of fruits from plum to quince in place of grapes. We met a Bulgarian who provided us a drink that had been distilled by his father and made us guess at what fruit it had been distilled from. Turkey sometimes used raisins but currently considers grapes to make a higher quality liquor. The anise flavor is added during or after the distillation process. Greek Ouzo distills with the anise and sometimes a complex flavoring of herbs such as coriander, cloves or cinnamon.

Hungarian Palinka

Not all Rakia uses anise and each country will name the drink differently. We rarely really knew what we were ordering until we tasted it. For example, in Bulgaria Rakia does not have anise but Mastika is Rakia with anise added. Strangely, they also sometimes add a sweet mint syrup to the Mastika as a cocktail. Hungary seems to rarely add anise to its Palinka which is included in the Rakia family only by similarity of distillation. It is also the only country we went to where the liquor was served as a digestive after the meal.

Shopska and Mastika

Most countries serve Rakia as an aperitif. In Turkey and Greece, we would drink the liquor with small plates called mezes (Turkey) or mezedes (Greece). A chilled bottle of Rakia, served with a touch of cold water turning the drink cloudy, and enjoy the company of friends and good food. In Bulgaria, it’s considered downright odd to order a Shopska salad without a glass of Mastika.

Raki in Turkey, with and without adding water

Our particular favorite was Rakomelo, a deceptively easy to drink variation found on the islands of Greece. Rakia, Greek for non-anise flavored, was warmed with honey and cloves. The result was the same, we were happy and drunk.

Rakomelo made for our table

In all likelihood, the dispute over who created Rakia will continue but we don’t think that will stop anyone from having a good time.

For more about Rakia, check out Martin’s Rakia Site.