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A fish in the raki bottle
Nobody knows who first distilled rakı, but it is thought to originate from 'arak', which means 'sweat' in Arabic. It drips from the still in sweat like drops. Rakı is Turkey's national drink. Harsher than beer or wine, rakı is a symbol of virility. It is not the kind of drink to be mixed with other alcohol. Orhan Veli brought rakı into the realm of poetry during the early Republican Era when he wrote 'I wish I was a fish in a rakı bottle." We paid a visit to the Tekirdağ Monopoly Liquor Distillery to learn how this drink is produced.
Mayse, suma
Fresh grapes or else sultanas and fresh aniseed seeds go into the production of rakı in Turkey. The grapes are mashed then put into a mixer to pass water through the glucose. This is how 'mayşe' is formed. It is a mixture of grape sediment and sweetened water. The mayşe is steam sterilized to filter out the bacteria in the sultanas. After the heated mayşe has cooled down comes the fermentation process. Emptied into a large kettle, yeast turns mayşe into a sort of vinegar and ferments it with natural yeasts in the grapes. At this point, the mayşe is left to sit for 48 hours at 25°-30°. Then it is distilled; an ethyl alcohol called 'suma' emerges from the initial process, to be diluted to 30-35%. Now we come to the aniseed stage. Aniseed seeds are washed and readied 6 hours before processing. They are added to the suma then the kettle lid is closed as the mixture goes through its final distillation process. Liquid that drips from the still during the first half hour contains little aniseed and is not bottled. The 225 lt. of rakı that emerges over the next 5-6 hours is called the 'head product.' Liquid that drips from the still over the next 30-36 hours is called the 'middle product' and is 78-80% alcohol. This is diluted with water and sugar to around 45-50% alcohol. The rakı is then poured into giant kegs to age for 25-40 days. Finally, it is bottled and shipped. Here's to your health!
