In Greece alcoholic beverages are inextricably linked with history, mythology and culture.

There is no avoiding mention of Dionysus, the Greek god of winemaking (he is identical to the Roman god Bacchus). In ancient Greece, it was with his light hand that hungry for freedom women turned after alcoholic intoxication into Bacchantes or, as they were also called, maenads (meaning “mad” or “demented”), ready to run among the mountains and in forests, frantically dancing or frightening animals and inhabitants.

The reason to be afraid was a real one: a bacchanalia could not be simply called a noisy “ladies’ meeting”. According to myths, these maenads in a state of trance were able to rip a bull with their bare hands into pieces if it gets on their bad side. It is well known that several times a year women broke away from their homes and fled to the forest. The men were indignant. The fact is that the maenads undertook a pilgrimage to Parnassus. The top of this mountain is at an altitude of about 1,55 mi, and there is quite cool there. Often it had to be undertaken real rescue expeditions to remove frozen priestesses of Dionysus from Parnassus. Despite everything, this cult was so widespread that the authorities had to legitimize the Dionysia in the VI century BC as special days for such allowed actions.

Dionysus became a god of winemaking by accident. He was the son of Zeus and an earthly woman. The wife of the thunder god Hera could not forgive husband’s betrayal: so she tried to annihilate Dionysus in every possible way, using all sorts of lady’s tricks. Zeus hid his son on a deserted island, having attached to him a satyr named Silenus as a tutor. This goat legged educator was an excellent winemaker and taught young Dionysus this craft. According to numerous Greek legends, wherever the grown up Bacchus appeared, he was always accompanied by merry satires, and he himself taught people to grow grapes, and make wine.

 

Tsikoudia. It is grape vodka or rustic moonshine which is called the “Spirit of Crete”.

In the Balkan countries, such as Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia and Romania, this drink is obtained by distilling products of fermentation of grapes or fruits, and called “rakia”. In Greece it is “raki”, in Turkey – “rakı”. All these names come from the Arabic word “arak” (ﻋﺮﻕ), meaning “sweat”: the Arabs had learned chemistry from Greeks and mastered the distillation perfectly, hence the name “arak”. So this drink spread throughout the Ottoman Empire, where this word, had been borrowed as “raka” and was transformed with the time by non-knowing Arab language common people into “rakı”: the fact is that Arabs pronounce the first sound “a” in their word “arak” in a way of a voiceless glottal stop, and an unaccustomed to it Turk ear did not perceive this sound at all.

In Islamic Turkey with its strict Sharia law, alcoholic beverages could be produced and consumed only by foreigners. Basically, they were Orthodox Greeks, who kept the traditions of winemaking and distillation of alcoholic beverages from the time of the Byzantine Empire. They were the main producers of raki in Turkey, and from them this tradition spread to other countries of the Balkan Peninsula. Going beyond the Ottoman Empire, strong alcohol, called arak, began to be used in the Caucasus and in Central, Middle, and Southeast Asia. In the Republic of Turkey, this beverage was widely spread only in the 20^th century, thanks to the “father of the Turkish people” – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern secular Turkish state: once he tasted a Greek raki and exclaimed that this divine drink is able to make a real poet anyone drinking it. Until the end of his days, Mustafa Kemal was admirer of it and did a lot to popularize rakı in Turkey, so he died of cirrhosis.

Such famous alcoholic drinks as tsikoudia and tsipouro originate exactly in Greek raki. In 1920, a special decision of the Greek government allowed peasants of Crete, which had just became part of the Greek state, the local production of alcoholic beverages by distillation. On Crete, the squeeze of grapes used for this is called “tsikoudia”, and the same is the name of the local beverage originated from it, although, it is also called “raki”, according to the Cretan tradition.

As an alcoholic beverage, the trade mark rakı was patented by the Turks. Therefore, there is no official trade mark “raki” in Greece, if you look at a bottle of it in a store. There will be written there “tsikoudia” or “tincture”. The Turks call “rakı” the drink which is called “ouzo” in Greece. If you have visited Turkey, then remember that their rakı is Greek ouzo.

Tsipouro and raki-tsikoudia are similar to each other in taste and in method of preparation. It is believed that the main difference between these two spirits is the presence of anise: the latter may be contained in tsipouro but not in traditional Cretan raki.

Tsikoudia producing distilleries, using traditional copper distillers, are remaining in family ownership. Cretan raki is in fact the moonshine. It is not taxed and not controlled in any way. On Crete such production is officially non-existent. There are no solid factories producing and exporting raki. In generally, it is a product for local use. The quality of tsikoudia is sufficiently high despite the almost home production. On Crete it is easy to run into an occasion of tsikoudia tasting: it is a custom to welcome guests with a glass of it. In a hotel, a shop or in a tavern, they will offer you it in a shot glass as a sign of hospitality. At the table, the drink is served chilled in a karafaki – a small decanter with a high narrow neck. Then tsikoudia is poured into shot glasses and drunk off at one draught.

The drink is a cunning one because it is pleasant to taste and is easy to drink, although its strength can be near 45 degrees. If you drink 1 oz, you will not notice it, and 1 oz more produce the same effect, but then you will be unfortunately caught up by all it alcohol at once. If you will be pleased with tsikoudia and want to bring a bottle home, it can be easily bought in any city market (called laiki agora).

Rakomelo. It is honey vodka consisting of two main ingredients: raki and honey. Sometimes cinnamon and cloves are added to the drink. On Crete it is considered as a woman’s drink. It can also reach 45 degrees and costs twice as much as tsikoudia.  

This curative tincture is drunk hot and effectively helps with cold. A chilled one is good as a dessert drink after a pleasant dinner.

In any supermarket you will find a ready-made rakomelo, but you can cook it yourself. The whole procedure will take no more than 5-10 minutes, and the difference in taste will be a great one. To prepare rakomelo, you need to pour raki into a cezve and to heat it slowly a little. Then add a few spoonfuls of honey and mix well. When you see that the drink is ready to boil, remove the cezve from the fire not bringing it to a boil. You rakomelo is ready! Like raki, it is served in a karafaki to pour into shot glasses and prepared in small quantities in order to drink before it is cold.

Mournoraki is another drink known on Crete, produced from mulberry. It costs more than rakomelo.

 

For other alcoholic beverages in Crete, read the following numbers.

Ouzo is aniseed vodka.

Retsina. It is a common to all Greeks drink, too. A white dry wine with a resin flower, it also has an alternative name – “resin”.

Homemade draft wine, beer.

*Metaxa. Perhaps, this is the most famous strong alcoholic beverage of Greece, a brandy, blended with wine and herbal tincture.