Raki Table

Origin: The rakı sofrası is the Turkish table built around anise spirit. It has its own rules: raki is mixed with water until it turns milky, cold meze come alongside, and the drinking runs for hours, never in a hurry. The table itself is the point, the drinking only sets the rhythm.

Setup: Narrow glasses, a water jug, many small dishes. The alcohol free version works with ayran or anise tea.

How to play:

1. Raki goes into the glass first, then water, never the other way round
2. Toast from below: the younger person, or whoever shows respect, holds their glass lower
3. After each toast take only one sip, then eat
4. Going around, everyone brings a topic that lasts longer than an anecdote

Drinking:

• Drink without a toast and you owe the table a toast
• Empty your glass without eating and you sit a round out
• Forget the water and your neighbour pours it for you

Goal: Everyone ends up full, talkative and upright. That is the whole idea.