Turkey’s national booze under government siege

“We have only raki left to relax. It brings us together with friends to chat. They cannot tolerate even that,” grumbled Selim Kaygusuz, a retired public servant in Ankara, disgruntled over the latest price hikes on the anise-flavored national booze. He recounted the good old days when he would meet with friends over a raki table four evenings a week or polish off a 70 cc bottle by himself. Now, he said, he has to make do with two evenings a week at most and only a few glasses of his favorite drink.

Despite its status as a national drink, raki is becoming increasingly out of reach for the ordinary Turk. The ruling Justice and Development Party, which promotes piety and a conservative way of life, has actively sought to discourage alcohol consumption, raining down taxes on booze, especially raki. True to form, the government raised liquor taxes at the beginning of the year, but this time went a step further, introducing a new regulation to trammel the home brewing of raki, which has flourished over the past several years in response to the soaring prices.