Ouzo substitute

Substitutes for Ouzo with ratios

1. 2Raki or arak

   Close match

   Use the same amount

   Turkish raki and Levantine arak are anise-flavoured grape spirits in the same family as ouzo.

   What changes

   Best for

   seafood dishes, deglazing, flambe, sipping, cocktails

   Functionally interchangeable in cooking. Both are drier than ouzo, which is usually sweetened a little, so the dish tastes cleaner and slightly more sharply aniseed. Arak is often higher proof, so it flames more readily and reduces harder. If a dessert or a marinade relies on ouzo's touch of sugar, add a quarter teaspoon of sugar per two tablespoons.

2. 3Sambuca

   Different taste

   ¾ the amount, topped up with water to the full volume

   An Italian anise liqueur, considerably sweeter than ouzo.

   What changes

   Best for

   desserts, syrups, cocktails, pan sauces for shellfish

   Right flavour family, wrong sugar level. Sambuca is a sweet liqueur, so pouring it in one for one makes a savoury seafood sauce taste candied. Use three quarters as much, top up with water, and cut any other sugar in the recipe. It is an excellent match in desserts, where the extra sweetness is welcome.

3. 4Vodka steeped with anise or fennel seed

   Close match

   Use 2 tablespoons vodka plus ¼ teaspoon crushed anise or fennel seed for every 2 tablespoons ouzo

   A do-it-yourself version that gives you the alcohol and the aroma from things you probably already own.

   What changes

   Best for

   deglazing, seafood sauces, braises, marinades, flambe

   Surprisingly effective in cooking, where the seeds have hot liquid to release into. Crush the seeds, steep them in the vodka for ten minutes, then tip the lot into the pan and strain later if you care about texture. Fennel seed gives a rounder, sweeter, slightly greener anise note than true anise seed. Do not bother with this for a cocktail, where the raw spirit taste comes through.

4. 5Star anise or fennel-seed tea (alcohol-free)

   Taste and texture differ

   Use 2 tablespoons of strong tea for every 2 tablespoons ouzo

   The non-alcoholic option: simmer one star anise pod or a teaspoon of fennel seed in a quarter cup of water for five minutes and strain.

   What changes

   Best for

   alcohol-free cooking, seafood sauces, braises, syrups

   It delivers the aroma honestly, and star anise is stronger and slightly more medicinal than the anise in ouzo, so go easy. What you lose is the alcohol itself, which in ouzo dishes is doing real work: it lifts aroma, dissolves the browned bits in the pan and helps a sauce reduce to a glaze. Expect a flatter, more watery sauce and reduce it longer to make up for it.

5. 6Anise extract diluted with water

   Different taste

   Use ⅛ teaspoon anise extract plus 2 tablespoons water for every 2 tablespoons ouzo

   A pantry solution for baking and desserts, where all you need is the anise flavour.

   What changes

   Best for

   cookies, cakes, syrups, ice cream, custards

   Very concentrated and very easy to overdo. An eighth of a teaspoon is genuinely enough, and doubling it makes the dish taste like licorice candy or mouthwash. It contributes no alcohol, so it will not thin a batter or flambe anything.