From the Greek island of Crete comes a very strong and pleasant spirit called raki. Its 40° volume of alcohol provides a soothing warmth during the winter months. It's made from grapes which are distilled and these distilleries are popular on the tourist trail; so if you ever happen to be at one, be prepared to drink a lot.

How to Drink it

Drinking raki is not difficult; take a shot glass, fill it and then down it.

There are alternative ways to drink raki:

• A Yellow-submarine is raki mixed with honey and then deep frozen.

• A Submarine is when you take a shot glass and a small normal glass, you fill the big glass with beer up to the height of the shot glass, you fill the shot glass with raki, dropping the shot glass in to the glass of beer, and you then down it over a sink. If successful, you take another, if not you look down and be ashamed of yourself. You keep this up until the bottle of raki is empty.

• Apparently raki with honey is very good for colds. You take the raki and boil it with honey and then drink it - it's very soothing. You can also add red hot chilli peppers to help your cold.

• It's also possible to keep a bottle of raki in the freezer for a long period of time. Excellent for the summer months.