Greek Drinks Guide: Ouzo, Tsipouro, Raki and What to Order

There is a version of Greece where every meal ends with a shot of ouzo brought by the owner. This happens. It is real. But it is the surface layer of a drinking culture that is considerably more interesting once you understand what is actually in the glass and why.

This guide covers Greek alcoholic drinks in the way they deserve to be covered — not as a list of things you can order at a tourist bar, but as a set of products with distinct production methods, regional identities, and social rituals that shape how and when they are drunk.

For the broader food context, see the Greek food guide. For specific regional drink experiences, the Athens travel guide and Crete travel guide have recommendations.

The Greek Drinking Principle

Before the individual drinks: the most important single fact about Greek alcohol is that it is never consumed in isolation. Greek drinks are social objects, and the culture built around them is specific.

Always with food. Ouzo, tsipouro, and raki are not drunk before dinner or after dinner — they are drunk during a meal, with meze arriving continuously. The food serves a practical purpose (slowing absorption of alcohol) and a cultural one (keeping people at the table together longer).

Always slowly. Glasses are small and rarely filled more than halfway. The pace is conversational rather than competitive. Greeks do not do shots of ouzo in the way visitors sometimes attempt. A bottle of tsipouro in Volos might last two hours across four people.

Always with water. Greek spirits are typically diluted with cold water or served over ice. Drinking them neat at full strength is possible but not the traditional approach.

Always with company. Drinking alone in Greece is unusual. Greek alcoholic drinks are social instruments — occasions for long conversations, arguments, stories, and the particular unhurried company that defines Greek cafe and taverna culture.

Ouzo: The Famous Greek Liquor

Ouzo is the most recognisable Greek drink internationally and, within Greece, the most associated with summer, the sea, and fish tavernas. It is an anise-flavoured spirit produced from grape pomace (the skins, seeds, and stems left after winemaking) blended with alcohol, distilled in copper stills, and flavoured primarily with anise along with other botanicals such as fennel, mastic, cardamom, and coriander.

What makes ouzo Greek liquor specifically: Ouzo has EU Protected Geographical Indication status. Only spirit produced in Greece using specific production methods can legally be called ouzo. The main production centres are the island of Lesvos (which produces the most respected ouzo), Macedonia, and Thrace.

The louche effect: When you add water or ice to ouzo, it turns from clear to milky white. This is caused by the anethole in anise oil — it is soluble in alcohol but not in water, so when water is added, the oils come out of solution and create the characteristic cloudiness. This is called the louche effect and it signals a correctly made ouzo. A spirit that does not louche has not been properly distilled with real anise.

How ouzo is served: Small, slim glasses, filled one-third full. Water or ice added to taste — many Greeks add a small amount of cold water rather than ice. Always accompanied by meze: olives, a slice of feta, cucumber, tomato, and at the coast, grilled octopus, fried calamari, or small fried fish.

Famous Greek drink culture around ouzo: The ouzo experience is inseparable from a seafront taverna, afternoon light, and a plate of grilled octopus drying in the sun on a washing line. This is not a cliché — it is a genuinely specific combination that works.

Best ouzo brands to know: Ouzo 12 (widely available, approachable), Mini (from Lesvos, more complex), Plomari (also Lesvos, high quality), Babatzim (Thessaloniki, distinctive).

Tsipouro: The Mainland Greek Spirit

Tsipouro is a grape pomace distillate produced primarily in mainland Greece — Thessaly, Macedonia, Epirus, and central Greece. Like Italian grappa and French marc, it is made from the solid remains of wine pressing. Unlike ouzo, it is not flavoured with anise unless the producer specifically adds it.

Two versions:

Tsipouro me anise (with anise) — flavoured with anise, turns cloudy like ouzo when diluted, sweeter and more aromatic. Common in northern Greece, particularly Volos and Larissa.

Tsipouro horis anise (without anise) — clear, dry, with the pure taste of the grape coming through. More like grappa. Drunk neat, slightly chilled, in small glasses. If you like grappa, this is the version for you.

Tsipouro vs ouzo: The key difference is the base. Most commercial ouzo uses neutral grain alcohol as the base, with anise added as flavouring. Tsipouro is always distilled from grapes — their character comes through in the spirit. Tsipouro with anise is more complex and intense than ouzo because the grape interplays with the anise rather than just flavouring a neutral spirit.

The tsipouradiko in Volos: The city of Volos on the Thessaly coast has elevated tsipouro drinking to a cultural institution. Tsipouradika (specialist tsipouro restaurants) serve small bottles of tsipouro with complimentary, constantly replenished meze plates. You pay only for the tsipouro; the food keeps arriving. This is one of the most specific and enjoyable food-and-drink experiences in Greece, and worth a trip to Volos specifically to experience it.

Production peak: Traditional tsipouro is distilled in autumn after the grape harvest, in communal distilling events called kazani. In villages, the distilling is a social occasion with food, music, and the first tasting of the season.

Raki / Tsikoudia: The Cretan Greek Drink

In Crete, the same grape pomace distillate goes by different names: raki, tsikoudia, or simply "Cretan spirit." It is closely related to tsipouro but produced in Crete using local grape varieties, never flavoured with anise, and deeply embedded in Cretan hospitality culture.

Raki as welcome: In Crete, raki is offered freely. If you sit down at a traditional Cretan restaurant, you will likely receive a small carafe of tsikoudia at the end of the meal — complimentary, unrequested, a statement of hospitality. It is offered to guests arriving at homes. It is poured for strangers who look like they might enjoy it. Refusing raki in Crete is possible but slightly peculiar.

How it differs from tsipouro: Cretan tsikoudia tends to be lighter and more delicate than mainland tsipouro, partly because of the grape varieties used, partly because Cretan distillers traditionally aim for a cleaner, less aggressive spirit. The absence of anise means the pure grape character comes through completely.

Rakomelo: A Cretan winter drink made from tsikoudia warmed with honey and spices — typically cinnamon, cloves, and sometimes cardamom. Served warm in winter as both a social drink and a traditional remedy. One of the most pleasant Greek alcoholic drinks you will not find on any international menu.

The kazanemata: Like tsipouro on the mainland, Cretan tsikoudia is traditionally distilled in autumn in communal distilling events called kazanemata — village parties built around the distilling cauldron, with food, music, and the first tasting of the new season's spirit.

Mastiha: The Unusual Greek Liqueur

Mastiha (μαστίχα) is a liqueur made from the resin of the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), which grows exclusively in the southern villages of Chios island — the only place in the world where the tree produces significant quantities of resin. The liqueur has a piney, slightly resinous flavour with sweetness underneath, completely unlike any other spirit.

What mastic resin is: Mastic is the dried sap of the mastic tree, which "weeps" resin crystals from cuts in the bark. These crystals have been harvested in Chios for at least 2,500 years — they were traded across the ancient Mediterranean as a chewing gum, medicine, and flavouring. The term "mastigate" (to chew) comes from the Greek word for mastic.

Mastiha liqueur: The commercial product is made by infusing mastic crystals in spirit to produce a clear, slightly sweet liqueur at around 30% ABV. The taste is described variously as piney, cedar-like, anise-adjacent, and uniquely aromatic — nothing else tastes quite like it.

How to drink it: Served chilled as a digestif, sometimes over ice. Increasingly used in cocktails in Athens bars. Can also be drunk straight as a palate cleanser between dishes. It is a genuinely distinctive Greek alcoholic drink worth trying if you encounter it.

Other Greek Alcoholic Drinks Worth Knowing

Metaxa — A Greek brandy blended with wine and botanicals, produced since 1888. Available in 3-star, 5-star, and 7-star grades depending on ageing time. Not a traditional spirit in the ouzo/tsipouro sense but widely drunk internationally.

Retsina — A white or rosé wine flavoured with pine resin, a tradition dating to ancient Greece when resin was used to seal wine vessels. The resin flavour is polarising — some love it, many do not. Drink it very cold with fried seafood for the best result.

Rakomelo — The warm Cretan honey-and-raki drink mentioned above. A winter speciality that deserves wider recognition.

Tentura — A cinnamon-heavy liqueur from Patras in the Peloponnese, made with spices and orange peel. Sweet, warm, and very specific to that region.

Souma — A fig-based distillate from Chios, produced in small quantities from October to December. Smoky, distinctive, and impossible to find outside the island.

How to Toast in Greek

When Greeks drink together, toasting is specific and social:

Stin ygeia mas (στην υγεία μας) — "To our health" — the standard toast, said before drinking.

Yamas (γιά μας) — The shortened version of the same, more casual. This is what you will hear most often at a taverna table.

The ritual: Glasses are tapped gently together — if there are four people at the table, four individual taps, not a collective clink. Eye contact with each person as you tap is important. The glasses are raised, the toast is said, and everyone drinks. Do not tap empty glasses and do not start drinking before the toast.

What to Order and Where

At a seafront taverna in summer: Ouzo with ice and water, accompanied by grilled octopus or fried anchovies.

At a tsipouradiko in Volos: A small bottle of tsipouro horis anise (without anise) and whatever meze arrives.

In Crete at a traditional restaurant: Accept the tsikoudia offered at the end of the meal. If you want rakomelo in winter, ask.

In Athens at a modern bar: Mastiha cocktails or a well-made freddo espresso with a shot of something local.

At a village kafeneion anywhere: Whatever the owner pours. It will be homemade and it will be strong.

FAQs

What is the most famous Greek drink?

Ouzo is the most internationally recognised Greek alcoholic drink — an anise-flavoured spirit produced exclusively in Greece, turned cloudy white when mixed with water. Within Greece, tsipouro (on the mainland) and raki/tsikoudia (in Crete) are equally embedded in local drinking culture.

What is the difference between ouzo and tsipouro?

Both are produced from grape pomace. Ouzo is always flavoured with anise and other botanicals; tsipouro may or may not contain anise. Ouzo typically uses neutral alcohol as a base, while tsipouro is always distilled entirely from grapes, giving it more complexity. Tsipouro is also typically slightly higher in alcohol.

Is raki the same as ouzo?

No. Raki (tsikoudia) is a Cretan grape distillate with no anise flavouring. It is closer in character to tsipouro or grappa than to ouzo. The Turkish drink called raki is a separate product — anise-flavoured, similar to ouzo, but produced in Turkey.

What is mastiha liqueur?

Mastiha is a liqueur made from the resin of the mastic tree, which grows exclusively in southern Chios. It has a distinctive piney, aromatic flavour unlike any other spirit. Served chilled as a digestif or in cocktails.

How do you drink ouzo properly?

Pour ouzo into a small glass, fill about one-third. Add cold water — roughly double or triple the volume of ouzo — and then ice if you want it cold. The spirit will turn cloudy white. Drink slowly with meze. Never drink ouzo without food.

Plan Your Greece Trip

• Greek Food Guide — the full picture of Greek cuisine
• Ouzo Guide — deep-dive into Greece's most famous spirit
• Athens Travel Guide — where to drink in Athens
• Crete Travel Guide — raki, rakomelo and Cretan food culture
• Kleftiko Guide — the slow-roasted lamb that goes best with a glass of tsipouro
• Greek Wine Guide — from assyrtiko to xinomavro
• How to Plan a Trip to Greece — the full planning framework

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