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Arak substitute

Best substitute

Raki

Use the same amount as the arak you are replacing

Best for braised lamb and chicken

Close match

Raki is the closest bottle and swaps one for one, because like arak it is a dry unsweetened grape spirit flavoured with aniseed. Ouzo also swaps one for one with one caveat: most ouzo is lightly sweetened, so a savoury braise made with it tastes slightly rounder and a dessert may need a touch less sugar. Pernod or pastis works at one for one and brings a more herbal fennel note plus a faint yellow-green tint. Without any anise spirit, steep a quarter teaspoon of crushed aniseed or a small piece of star anise in two tablespoons of vodka for ten minutes and strain, which is genuinely good in cooking. In a dish arak is supplying aniseed aroma plus alcohol that dissolves flavour compounds and helps a sauce reduce, and it contributes no sweetness and no colour at all.

Other arak substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Arak with ratios

  1. 2Ouzo

    Close match

    Use the same amount

    Greek anise spirit, clear and lightly sweetened, easy to find in most liquor stores.

    What changes
    Best for
    seafood and shellfish, flambe, syrups and desserts, cocktails

    The easiest one to buy and a very good match. The single difference that matters is sugar: most ouzo carries a small amount, so a savoury sauce made with it tastes a shade sweeter and softer, and a dessert syrup may need slightly less sugar than the recipe states. Ouzo brands also vary in anise strength more than they vary from arak, so taste the bottle before deciding how much to use. Everything else, including the milky louche and the way it reduces, is the same.

  2. 3Pernod or pastis

    Different texture

    Use the same amount

    French anise spirits built on anise plus fennel and other botanicals rather than aniseed alone.

    What changes
    Best for
    fish stews and mussels, cream and butter sauces, tomato and fennel dishes, cocktails

    Both louche cloudy with water just as arak does, so they behave the same way in the pan. Pernod is drier, more herbal and slightly bitter, with a yellow-green colour that will visibly tint a pale sauce, while pastis is a bit sweeter and closer to arak's register. Either makes the finished dish taste more complex and less purely aniseed, which in a fish stew usually improves it and in a traditional Levantine braise makes it taste subtly French.

  3. 4Sambuca or anisette

    Taste and texture differ

    use half the amount, and reduce the recipe's sugar

    Sweet Italian and French anise liqueurs, considerably lower in alcohol and much higher in sugar.

    What changes
    Best for
    desserts and syrups, cocktails, coffee, when nothing dry is available

    The anise flavour is right and the sweetness is the problem. These are liqueurs rather than spirits, often heavily sugared, so a savoury braise made with a full measure tastes distinctly sweet and slightly sticky. Use half the quantity, cut a proportional amount of sugar elsewhere in the recipe, and expect a glossier reduction because the sugar caramelises. In desserts the swap is straightforward and often better than arak would have been.

  4. 5Vodka steeped with aniseed or star anise

    Close match

    2 tablespoons vodka plus ¼ teaspoon crushed aniseed, or 1 small piece star anise

    Neutral spirit infused for ten minutes with crushed anise seed and strained.

    What changes
    Best for
    cooking, marinades and sauces, when no anise spirit is in the house, controlling the anise intensity exactly, budget cooking

    Surprisingly effective, because in cooking arak is mostly delivering anise aroma plus alcohol, and this delivers both. Crush the seeds first so the oils are released, steep for ten minutes in the vodka at room temperature, then strain. Star anise is a different plant and tastes deeper and slightly liquorice-medicinal, so use a small piece and taste. The one thing you will not get is arak's grape-distillate roundness, which reads as a slightly thinner, sharper alcohol note in the finished dish.

  5. 6Aniseed or fennel-seed tea, for an alcohol-free version

    Taste and texture differ

    1 teaspoon crushed seeds steeped in 2 tablespoons boiling water, used 1:1

    A strong infusion of crushed aniseed or fennel seed, strained, with no alcohol.

    What changes
    Best for
    marinades and braises, syrups, cooking for people avoiding alcohol, children's portions

    Gets the aroma, and it is honest to say that is all it gets. Alcohol dissolves flavour compounds that water does not, helps a sauce reduce and adds a warmth on the palate, so a braise made with anise tea tastes correct in aroma but slightly flatter and less integrated. Steep for a full ten minutes and strain well. Because there is no alcohol to cook off, add it later in the cooking than you would add arak, so the aroma is not driven away.

What is Arak?

Arak is the clear unsweetened Levantine spirit distilled from grapes and redistilled with aniseed, also spelled araq and usually 40 to 53 percent alcohol, which turns milky white the moment water is added; in cooking it is there for licorice aroma and a clean alcoholic bite that cuts through fat, not for sweetness or body.

Cooking tips

  • Add any anise spirit off the heat, then return the pan to the flame. High-proof arak ignites readily, and pouring it into a hot pan over an open burner can flare up unexpectedly. Take the pan off, pour, then put it back.
  • Anise is powerful and it concentrates as a sauce reduces. Start with less than the recipe says if you are unsure of your bottle, taste after the reduction rather than before, and add more at the end if needed.
  • If you are serving arak rather than cooking with it, pour the spirit first, then the water at roughly one part arak to two parts water, and only then the ice. Dropping ice into neat arak chills the anise oils so fast that they clump into oily specks on the surface instead of emulsifying into that clean white cloud.
  • Arak and its substitutes cloud instantly when they meet water, which is normal and not a fault. In a pale cream sauce that means the sauce may look slightly milky, which disappears once it reduces and the alcohol cooks off.
  • Do not substitute an anise spirit into a home canning, pickling or fermenting recipe, or add it to one. Changing what goes into a preserving recipe changes the acidity and salt balance that make it safe, so follow tested recipes exactly and check the National Center for Home Food Preservation before altering anything you intend to store at room temperature.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between arak, ouzo and raki?

Less than the names suggest. All three are clear grape-based spirits flavoured with aniseed that turn milky white with water. Arak is Levantine, dry and often the strongest of the three. Raki is Turkish and also dry. Ouzo is Greek and usually lightly sweetened, which is the only difference that changes how a dish tastes. In cooking they are interchangeable at one for one, with a small allowance for ouzo's sugar.

Can I leave arak out of a recipe?

It depends on how much is called for. A tablespoon or two in a braise or marinade can be omitted, and the dish will simply taste less aromatic, though it is worth replacing it with a strong aniseed infusion since that costs nothing. If arak is a substantial part of the liquid, replace the volume with stock or water plus anise tea rather than leaving it out, or the sauce will not reduce to the right consistency.

Can I use star anise instead?

Yes, as a flavouring, but treat it with respect. Star anise comes from an unrelated plant and tastes deeper, more liquorice-like and slightly medicinal, and it is much stronger than aniseed. One small piece steeped in a couple of tablespoons of vodka or hot water is enough to stand in for a splash of arak. A whole star will dominate a small dish.

Does the alcohol cook off completely?

Not entirely. Simmering or flaming drives off most of the alcohol but a small amount always remains, and short cooking leaves more than long cooking. If that matters for who is eating, use the aniseed or fennel-seed infusion instead, which contains none at all, and add it late in cooking so the aroma survives.

What does arak taste like on its own?

Dry, strong and intensely aniseed, with a clean grapey warmth underneath and no sweetness at all. Diluted with water and ice it turns opaque white and much softer, which is how it is drunk with mezze. If you have only had sweet anise liqueurs such as sambuca, arak will taste far drier and more bracing than you expect.

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