Raki Tradition

Raki in Albania is a clear spirit distilled at home from fermented fruit, most often grapes but also plums, mulberries, figs or cornel cherries, and it is genuinely a household product: a large share of rural families still make their own each autumn in copper stills, and offering it to a guest at any hour is standard hospitality rather than a bar transaction. Strength varies from around forty percent upward and is often well beyond that. Certain places carry a reputation: Skrapar for grape raki, Permet for its production generally, and mulberry raki from the south is regarded as the finest. It is drunk neat in small glasses, usually with something to eat, and it is offered constantly to visitors.

What you actually see

• Copper stills in autumn - the household distilling season.
• Grape, plum and mulberry - the fruits most commonly used.
• Skrapar and Permet reputations - the places known for quality.
• Offered as hospitality - poured for guests at any hour.

When to go

September to November for the distilling, when villages are working; year round for drinking. One to two hours. Ask at guesthouses in the south, where families will usually show and pour.

Honest expectations

Strength is often much higher than a visitor expects and there is no label to check. Home distillation is unregulated and quality varies. Refusing a second glass takes persistence. Do not drive afterwards, and be aware that hospitality can be insistent.

Nearby

Permet and Skrapar are the best-known producing areas.