But more recently raki has been getting a different kind of reputation: It's become known as the guilty party in an increasing number of deaths from alcohol poisoning, in particular in Turkey's ...

Since the beginning of 2025, more than 160 people have died from poisoning after drinking bootleg alcohol in Turkey. How did going out for a drink become so dangerous? Raki, the Turkish anise ...

Although Turkiye is a nominally secular country, alcohol taxes have risen sharply under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Muslim who vociferously opposes drinking. Buying a litre bottle of raki, ...

Turkey’s national liquor raki is the country’s most commonly-bootlegged alcohol after jumping in price to around 1,300 lira (£28.93) per litre in supermarkets, according to Rudaw.