Tekirdağ Rakı Distillery

The Tekirdağ Rakı Distillery is the source of Turkey's most celebrated anise spirit. The Tekirdağ brand dominates the national market at the premium end, and the distillery has been producing here since the early 20th century, taking advantage of the region's grape-growing tradition and the particular quality of the local water.

Visitors can sometimes arrange tours of the production facility; the process of double distillation and anise infusion is fascinating if you have any interest in distilled spirits. The distillery also has a tasting facility. Even if you don't visit, picking up a bottle of Tekirdağ Rakısı to take home — or simply drinking it at a waterfront restaurant — is the defining culinary experience of the city.

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A story
Rakı production in Tekirdağ dates to the Ottoman period. The distinctive anise-flavoured spirit is distilled from grapes — specifically from the grape marc (skin, seeds, and stems left after pressing) — and then re-distilled with aniseed. Tekirdağ's version is considered superior by most rakı drinkers because of the quality of the local grapes and the traditional distillation methods still used here. When you add water to a glass of Tekirdağ Rakısı and it turns the characteristic milky white ("lion's milk"), the transformation is slightly more dramatic than with lesser versions.