Tsipouro substitute

Best substitute

Grappa

Use the same amount as the tsipouro you are replacing

Best for marinades

Close match

Grappa is a near-exact swap at 1:1, because it is the same product made from Italian grape pomace instead of Greek. French marc works identically, and brandy or Cognac is the reliable pantry answer at 1:1 if you accept a sweeter, oakier result. If your recipe wants the anise-flavored style of tsipouro, use ouzo, raki or pastis at about two thirds the amount. For an alcohol-free marinade, use white grape juice with a splash of vinegar and lemon.

Other tsipouro substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Marc (French pomace brandy)
Close match
Use the same amount
The French version of the same pomace distillate, such as Marc de Bourgogne.
What changes
Best for
marinades, braises, deglazing, flamed dishes
Same category again, so it behaves identically in the pan. Marc tends to be more rustic and earthy, sometimes noticeably so, which suits lamb, pork and game and can be a little heavy in a delicate dessert syrup. Anywhere tsipouro is cooked rather than sipped, the difference disappears.
3Brandy or Cognac
Different taste
Use the same amount
Grape spirit distilled from wine rather than pomace, and barrel-aged.
What changes
Best for
marinades, flamed dishes, braises, desserts
The pantry answer, and a perfectly good one. Because it is distilled from wine and aged in oak, it is sweeter, rounder and browner, so a flamed dish tastes richer and less sharp and a clear syrup will be tinted. In a marinade, where everything gets absorbed into meat, the difference is almost undetectable.
4Ouzo, raki or pastis, for anise-flavored tsipouro
Different taste
⅔ the amount called for, then taste
Anise-flavored spirits standing in for anise-flavored tsipouro.
What changes
Best for
seafood dishes, flamed prawns and cheese, sweet syrups, marinades for fish
Ouzo is sweetened and much more aggressively aniseed than even anise-flavored tsipouro, which is why you cut the quantity; pastis is sweeter still and adds a faint herbal bitterness. Add it toward the end of cooking, since anise aroma is volatile and a long simmer flattens it into something medicinal.
5Vodka with a strip of lemon zest
Different taste
Use the same amount with one wide strip of zest steeped for 10 minutes and removed
Neutral spirit doing the alcohol's mechanical job with a little brightness added.
What changes
Best for
deglazing, flaming saganaki, batters, marinades
Gives you the alcohol, the burn and the ability to flame, and none of the grape character. That is fine when tsipouro was there to lift a pan sauce or set a cheese alight, and wrong when it was there to taste of something. The lemon zest keeps it from reading as flatly boozy.
6White grape juice with vinegar and lemon, alcohol-free
Different taste
Use 3 Tbsp white grape juice : 1 tsp white wine vinegar : 1 tsp lemon juice, for every ¼ cup tsipouro
The non-alcoholic route for marinades and sauces.
What changes
Best for
marinades, braises, dessert soaks, cooking without alcohol
The grape fruitiness and the acidity both survive, and the acid matters as much as the flavor because it is doing some of the tenderizing. What you lose is alcohol's ability to dissolve and carry aromatic compounds, so the finished dish tastes simpler and more one-note. The added sugar also browns faster, so watch a marinated cut on high heat. A flambe cannot be done without alcohol at all; skip the flame and simply cook the dish.

What is Tsipouro?

Tsipouro is Tsipouro is a clear Greek pomace brandy distilled from the grape skins, pulp and stems left over from winemaking, typically 40 to 45 percent alcohol and sometimes flavored with anise.

Cooking tips

Tsipouro comes in two styles and they are not interchangeable: plain, which tastes like grappa, and anise-flavored, which tastes closer to ouzo. If a recipe just says tsipouro it usually means the plain kind; if the dish is seafood or a sweet syrup, check whether the anise is actually wanted.
When you flame it over pan-fried cheese, prawns or sausage, take the pan off the heat first, add the spirit, then return it to the flame at arm's length. Pouring spirit from the bottle into a hot pan over a lit burner is how kitchen fires start, and pomace brandy is strong enough to catch instantly.
In a marinade for lamb, pork or octopus, two tablespoons is plenty. Tsipouro is potent enough that more will begin to firm the surface of the meat and leave a medicinal edge that survives cooking.
It is also called tsikoudia or raki on Crete, where it is the everyday name for the same clear pomace spirit. Turkish raki, confusingly, is anise-flavored and much closer to ouzo, so check which cuisine the recipe comes from before you buy a bottle labelled raki.
If you are substituting only because you do not want to buy a full bottle, brandy is the answer you probably already own, and grappa is widely sold in miniatures, which is cheaper than committing to 750ml for two tablespoons.

Frequently asked questions

Is tsipouro the same as ouzo?

No. Ouzo is a largely neutral spirit flavored and lightly sweetened with anise, so it tastes of licorice. Tsipouro is a pomace brandy that tastes of grapes and grape skins. The confusion exists because some tsipouro is also flavored with anise, particularly in Thessaly and Macedonia.

Is tsipouro the same as grappa?

Practically, yes. Both are distilled from grape pomace, the skins and pulp left after pressing, and both are usually unaged and clear. The differences are national origin, local grape varieties and house style, which is why grappa is the most accurate substitute you can buy outside Greece.

Can I just leave it out of a recipe?

In a marinade, usually yes, and you lose a little brightness and lift. In a flamed dish it is doing visible work and there is no non-alcoholic version of a flambe, so change the technique rather than the ingredient. In a dessert soak, replace the volume with juice or syrup so the cake still gets wet.

Does the alcohol cook off completely?

Most of it, but not all. Flaming burns off less than people assume, and even a long simmer leaves a small residual amount behind. If alcohol needs to be avoided entirely rather than just reduced, use the grape juice, vinegar and lemon route instead of any spirit.

How strong is tsipouro?

Commercial bottles are typically 40 to 45 percent alcohol by volume, and village-made tsipouro can be considerably stronger. Treat it like grappa or an overproof brandy in the kitchen, especially anywhere near an open flame or a gas burner.

Related substitutes

More liquor substitutes

Tsipouro substitute

Other tsipouro substitutes

2Marc (French pomace brandy)

3Brandy or Cognac

4Ouzo, raki or pastis, for anise-flavored tsipouro

5Vodka with a strip of lemon zest

6White grape juice with vinegar and lemon, alcohol-free