Making Raki

Raki or tsikoudia is the main Cretan drink, known all over Greece and even further. It is clear and fragrant liquor usually offered as a welcoming gesture, or at the end of a meal. Raki is made of grapes and contains about 37% alcohol, similar to whiskey or gin. It is served straight, in shot glasses, usually well chilled.

Every autumn, after the grape harvest, various wine celebrations begin. The last of them, the production of raki, begins in October. The raki distilling custom was instituted by Eleftherios Venizelos in 1920, when special permits were given to farmers to distill grapes for additional income.

The “strafylla” (crushed grapes) that are left to rest for a month, after grapes have been pressed to make wine, are slowly boiled in special cauldrons. Drop by drop, raki begins to flow; very strong at first, properly balanced in the end. The Cretan raki is not just a local product; it is an intrinsic part of the identity of the local culture and a way of expressing the true Cretan hospitality.