The Best Homemade Rakia To Date

Having lived in Bulgaria since 2005, I must have tasted over 100 different homemade Rakia since first stepping foot into Rakia country. Last night I was at a 5th Birthday Party for one of my Bulgarian's friend's son in Yambol. The Grandparents were there and not only brought a bicycle as a present for the birthday boy but 1 litre of Rakia made from grapes purchased from Meden Kladinets, a village next to my own home village of Skalitsa.

This was the highlight of the year so far, as this Rakia was a sweet as honey (Meden Kladinets, means honey well) and so smooth it melted it's way down the throat and into the stomach where it created a warm environment. It was the best homemade Rakia I had ever tasted and will remain in my tasted buds for a very long time to come. needles to say it was all drunk by the end of the evening.

I was invited to the grandparent's house for a return tasting sometime later this year, where they promised to give me the secrets of making such a fine spirit. I more than look forward to that in due course.

Thanks Voters - Poll Analysis

A staggering 78% of people who cast their vote had tasted Rakia before. Not really surprising as most who visit this site know about Rakia and use Rakia as a key word to get to the site.

Even in view of this almost 1 in 5 haven't tasted Rakia. Perhaps they might after they had visited and voted.

One voter actually admitted that they couldn't remember haven't tasted Rakia. Well, no comment on that one.

May I thank all the 41 people who voted and with that I'd like to propose another open invitation to take another vote on the question of ice or no ice with Rakia.

Nastavey!

Rakia - With Or Without Ice?

Rakia, with or without ice? This is a legitimate and serious question for Rakia drinkers and to be quite honest doesn't have a straight forward answer.

Initially, when arriving in Bulgaria and before I started distilling my own, Rakia was always drunk with ice. It was automatically put on the table in some Bulgarian bars and restaurants therefore one felt compelled to add to the Rakia if it was there. The Rakia drunk was normally a standard 100 ml 40% locally factory produced Rakia and the addition of ice just watered it down to around 35% or lower. At the time this wasn't a problem and was still enjoyed at the time. Nowadays I choose not to add ice to factory produced rakia, this took a turn after my experiences with the home distilled Rakia.

Starting my adventure with homemade Rakia, the ice factor comes into play for a very different reason. The alcohol level sometime tips the 50% mark and this at the time I felt was really is too strong so the ice was added. What this also does is provide a medium where you can actually taste and appreciate the finer qualities of the taste of Rakia. This is not to disimiliar to the options of added ice or water to whiskey to enhance and impart the finer flavours of the spirit. There were however occasions where ice wasn't available and to combat the problem of strong Rakia, smaller sips were taken alongside a glass of water, lemonade or Ayran.

Having now seen many Bulgarian Rakia drinkers and their ice or no ice habits, it is still confussing as to which is the most common. In some restaurants you have to ask for ice and in others you don't, this confussed the issue further, there are definely two schools of thought here.

At home, the preferences still are divided, some of my guest take ice, others don't and the same when I am with neighbours. The question is asked, "Ice or no Ice in Rakia?" but the answers are equally divided.

I guess it is down to individual preference, but to me to put ice into a Rakia to weaken the strength just doesn't feel right now. My own Rakia in the first year was around 46% and needed to be slightly weaker, therefore ice was always added for this purpose. In more recent times distilling the Rakia is made to around 42%, this was done purposely by adding spring water into bulk Rakia. The neccessity of ice nowadays in my own Rakia is not needed for watering down the spirit.

So far, we have just talked about using ice to reduce the alocohol content, there is another issue for using ice and that is to chill the Rakia.

In the summer the Rakia is normally cooled in the fridge before serving - even stuck in the freezer for an hour before being brough out into the warm evening air of summer. Eventually the Rakia will bring itself up to an ambient temperature and become too warm, this is where the ice may come into play, unless you have lots of friends around and the bottle is emptied within the hour. this of course is not always so.

It is noticable that the poorer the family they are less likely to add ice to the Rakia, this may well have everything to do with the fact than they don't have freezers! this leads me to believe that traditionally, Rakia should be served without ice and this is how I now drink it. The Rakia should be served cold and canbe kept cold with a bucket of cold water when not being poured. If other drinkers want ice, that is their preference. The home produced Rakia, the preferable Rakia gives me great pleasure to taste neat as I had produced it to that level of strength for exactly that purpose.

With factory produced Rakia in restaurants and bars, the drink is always served cold and the addition of ice from my point of view will just weaken the Rakia it to the degree of turning it into a bitter spritser. My preference has change over the years.

So, do you prefer ice with your Rakia? Let me know by voting on the new poll I have put out.

This was clipped based around the photograph that has now been viewed nearly 9,000 times. There is an interesting dialogue alongside it explaining the picture. There is not much around about Rakia in Albania, so it is quite a rarity to get a picture and commentary about it. If you want to see the original site go to - http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Albania/photo479843.htm

Rakia (Raki) In Albania Raki was brought to Albania through the Ottoman conquest of the country in the late 14th century. Made from fermented and distilled fruit, usually grapes but sometimes plums the Albanian raki contains no aniseed and its taste varies according to the fruit used to make it. The process of making raki in Albania is exceptionally difficult, with the slighest mistake turning a potentially perfect batch of it into what is known as 'soft raki', which is considered by many to not be worth drinking. Albanians are very fond of their national drink, and, despite the fact it is about as potent as vodka it is not drunk as a Russian would drink vodka. It is sipped in tiny amounts and both making and drinking raki are almost art forms. Each family has one it considers to be a raki master. It is usually drunk at social gatherings and other events. Some of the best raki in Albania comes from the Skrapar and Përmet districts. Cheers!!! Copyright: GJOVALIN NDRECAJ (GJOVALINI) (96) clipped from www.trekearth.com

Raki, Tsikoudia, Tsipouro - A Greek Account

An interesting account of the Greek version of Rakia and other spirits that come from Bulgaria's neighbour. Some details of traditions that go on in Greece are also interesting reading. I suggest you visit the site Kalimera in the Greek Kafenio, it has lot more details about this location - A nice bright site. In the meantime get a taste right here for starters.

Raki, Tsikoudia, Tsipouro

Raki, like the Cretan Tsikoudia also called, is how the Greek Tsipouro a pomace brandy, twice burned.

Tsikoudia (Greek τσικουδιά), also known as raki (Greek ρακή / ρακί), the Cretan version of the rest of Greece as Tsipouro marcs known brands and is regarded as something more than this. Raki is made from the remains of the mash in the production of wine distilled, is clear and contains 30 to 40 percent by volume of alcohol.

Tsipouro (Greek Τσίπουρο) comes from the region of Macedonia. Tsipouro is residue from the pressing of various white grape varieties such as Roditis, Athiri Assyrtiko and distilled twice. After the first distillation, it is sometimes like the Turkish raki flavored with aniseed.

A drink that is similar to raki or Tsipouro distilled, but instead of anise with mastic, a tree resin, flavored, is sold as Masticha. If the wine, brandy burn out the figs.

Raki is in the autumn after the vintage and wineries in copper kettles from pomace - the residue of grapes Press - distilled. To create a "burning" of the mash to avoid the Kesselboden often with olive branches designed timber. The commercial writers will work this season in almost around the clock, around the large amounts of pulp attached to process.

Unlike the Turkish Rakı and make variants of the Tsipouro contains the Cretan raki no anise and also differs in terms of raw materials from this.

Raki is drunk neat, it is inevitable in Crete drink to every greeting and farewell each after the meal is offered. It is often burned black and more or less "under the counter" in zweckentfremdeten water bottles or cans sold without a label. Quality and taste can be quite varied, a "good" Raki to be able to offer or offered to get is an honor. Taste is good Tsikoudia most closely with the Italian grappa comparable. Due to licensing restrictions on the government side, there are relatively few family farms in Crete, the legal raki may burn.

from http://kafenio.eu/en/die-karte/spirituosen/raki/