A “big one” is what Turks colloquially call a 700-milliliter bottle of raki, the distilled alcoholic beverage known as the country’s national booze. The story of the “big one” under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is the story of Turkey’s religious-conservative transformation as a result of political Islam taking over the state, the resistance of secular quarters to this transformation and the tensions between different segments of society, polarized along this axis. To understand the process, one does not need to drink from the “big one”; reading the bottle correctly and what it signifies would be enough.

To start with what raki actually is, the definition of the Turkish Food Codex says the drink is made of homegrown grapes and aniseed, and stands out among other distilled spirits for its distinctive production method, which is based on a traditional copper distiller technology.

This official definition makes raki the indigenous national booze. Accompanied by an assortment of mezes (appetizers or starters), raki is the centerpiece of “raki tables,” at which Turks sit down with friends, immersed in long conversations, be they heated political discussions or personal memory telling or heart-to-heart talks. In short, raki has a rich culture of its own, from the way it is produced to the way it is consumed.

Like all other spirits, raki has harmful effects on health. Yet the war on the “big one” that the Turkish government has been waging through various means is driven by ideological motives rather than the aim of protecting public health.