Tsikoudia - Raki

A carafe of tsikoudia, two shots, and a snack are sitting on a table in Chania, Crete Island, Greece, on August 14, 2024. Tsikoudia is an alcoholic beverage, a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Cretan origin that contains 40% to 65% alcohol by volume. Tsikoudia is made by distilling pomace, what remains of grapes pressed in winemaking. In the eastern part of Crete, tsikoudia is often informally called raki, a name originating from the Turkish 'raki', derived from the 17th-century Arabic 'arak', meaning 'distilled'. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)