Quick answer
Arrack and raki are different spirits with a shared ancestor in the Arabic word araq. Sri Lankan arrack is distilled from fermented coconut flower sap, is unflavoured, golden and 33 to 40 per cent alcohol. Turkish raki is distilled from grapes or raisins and flavoured with aniseed, is clear, around 45 per cent, and turns white with water. Raki is drunk with meze; arrack is drunk with spicy fried snacks called bites. Raki is seldom available in Sri Lanka, so plan to drink arrack.
Key takeaways
- Sri Lankan arrack is an unflavoured coconut sap spirit; Turkish raki is a grape spirit flavoured with aniseed.
- Raki is typically bottled at around 45 per cent ABV, stronger than arrack at roughly 33 to 40 per cent.
- Raki turns milky white when water is added; arrack stays clear and golden.
- Both spirits are traditionally drunk slowly at a shared table with small plates of food.
- Raki is rarely stocked in Sri Lanka, and imported spirits are heavily taxed.
Arrack vs raki: how they differ
Arrack and raki differ in ingredients, flavour and strength. The resemblance lies in the custom around them, not in the liquid.
- →Base: coconut flower sap for arrack; grapes or raisins for raki.
- →Flavour: floral and lightly nutty; strongly aniseed.
- →Appearance: gold to amber; clear, then white with water.
- →Strength: 33 to 40 per cent; around 45 per cent.
- →Usual mixer: soda, ginger beer or water; chilled water only.
How arrack and raki are made
Arrack is made by tapping coconut flowers for sap, which ferments by itself within hours and is distilled within a day. Many arracks are then aged in vats of halmilla wood for months or years.
Raki is made by distilling a grape or raisin spirit called suma, then distilling it again with aniseed in copper stills. It is rested briefly and bottled clear. Neither spirit relies on oak for its character, which is one thing they do have in common.
The table: meze and bites
The table is where arrack and raki resemble each other most. Both are social drinks taken over a long evening, and both expect food.
- →Raki table: white cheese, melon, cold meze, grilled fish.
- →Arrack table: devilled chicken or fish, fried cashews, spiced chickpeas, hot butter cuttlefish.
- →Pace: slow at both, with the bottle shared.
- →Heat: arrack bites are noticeably spicier than meze.
How each spirit is served
Raki is served in a tall narrow glass, topped with cold water, with ice added afterwards if at all. A second glass of water sits alongside.
Arrack is served in a tall glass over ice with soda and lime, with ginger beer, or with plain water. Aged arrack is also poured neat in a small glass. There is no ritual of clouding, and no fixed ratio: each drinker mixes to taste.
Finding raki and arrack in Sri Lanka
Raki is hard to find in Sri Lanka. A few international hotels may carry an aniseed spirit, but it is not something to rely on, and all imported spirits carry heavy duty.
Arrack is sold everywhere alcohol is sold: licensed wine stores, supermarket liquor counters, hotels and restaurants. No alcohol of any kind is sold on poya days, the monthly full moon holidays. Travellers who want raki can bring a bottle within the arrival duty-free allowance.
What a raki drinker should order
A raki drinker in Sri Lanka will find the nearest equivalent in the occasion, not the flavour. Order a half bottle of old arrack for the table with soda, water and a plate or two of bites, and the evening will feel familiar.
Lankan Stays & Trails can arrange an evening of this kind at a seafood restaurant on the coast, and can advise on halal dining and alcohol-free alternatives for mixed groups.
- →Choose arrack with cold water if you like the simplicity of raki and water.
- →Choose arrack with soda and lime for a long drink with grilled fish.
- →Choose an aged coconut arrack neat after dinner.
Frequently asked questions
Is arrack the same as raki?
No. Raki is a Turkish grape spirit flavoured with aniseed that turns white with water. Sri Lankan arrack is an unflavoured spirit distilled from coconut flower sap. The names share a root in the Arabic araq, but the drinks are unrelated in taste.
Does arrack taste like raki?
No. Arrack has no aniseed flavour at all. It tastes floral, lightly sweet and a little nutty, more like a light rum. Raki drinkers should expect a completely different flavour, though the custom of sharing a bottle over food is similar.
Can I buy raki in Sri Lanka?
Raki is rarely sold in Sri Lanka. A small number of international hotel bars may stock an aniseed spirit, but most do not. If it matters to you, bring a bottle within the duty-free allowance for arriving passengers, and check the current limit first.
Which is stronger, raki or arrack?
Raki is stronger. It is typically bottled at around 45 per cent alcohol, while Sri Lankan arrack ranges from roughly 33 to 40 per cent. Both are normally diluted before drinking, raki with water and arrack with soda, water or ginger beer.
What do Sri Lankans eat with arrack?
Sri Lankans eat bites with arrack: small, spicy plates such as devilled chicken, pork or fish, fried cashews with curry leaves, tempered chickpeas and hot butter cuttlefish. They play the same role as meze at a raki table and are noticeably hotter.
Is alcohol easy to find in Sri Lanka?
Yes, on most days. Licensed shops, hotels and many restaurants sell beer, arrack and imported drinks to anyone aged 21 or over. The exception is poya days, the monthly full moon holidays, when no alcohol is sold anywhere on the island.