Raki — the spirit you'll be offered everywhere

Somewhere on your first day in Albania, a stranger will pour you a small glass of clear liquid and watch you expectantly. That is raki, the country's homemade fruit spirit, and refusing it politely is one of the first social skills you'll learn — as is accepting it graciously, which usually goes better.

What raki actually is

Raki is a distilled spirit, typically 40–45% and often much stronger when it comes from a village still. It is not the anise-flavoured rakı of Turkey or the ouzo of Greece — Albanian raki is usually clear and dry, tasting of the fruit it came from rather than of aniseed.

The most common base is grape (raki rrushi), a by-product of the wine harvest. But the country's signature is raki mani, made from mulberries, prized in the south and often smoother and more aromatic. You'll also meet plum (raki kumbulle) and, occasionally, walnut or herb-infused versions.

The etiquette

Raki is social glue. Expect it:

• As a welcome, the moment you sit down in someone's home.
• Before a meal, to open the appetite, alongside meze.
• After a meal, or with the morning coffee among older men in the village.

Toasts matter. Say "Gëzuar!" (cheers), make eye contact, and sip rather than shoot — homemade raki is strong and the hospitality is relentless. It's perfectly acceptable to nurse one glass slowly; it's less acceptable to wave the bottle away without a taste.

How to enjoy it well

The best raki is rarely bought in a shop. It's the bottle without a label, made by the host's uncle and poured with pride — that's the one to try. In restaurants, ask for raki shtëpie (house raki). Pair it with cheese, olives, cured meat or fresh fruit, and never on a completely empty stomach.

Treat it as a ritual, not a race. A small glass, a genuine "gëzuar", and a slow afternoon on a village terrace is raki at its best — and one of the warmest doors into Albanian life.