Arak (drink)

Composition

Arak is traditionally made of grapes and aniseed (the seeds of the anise plant); when crushed, their oil provides arak with a slight licorice taste. Dates, figs, and other fruits are sometimes added.

Typically, arak is a minimum of 50% alcohol by volume (ABV), and can be up to 70% ABV (140 proof).

Etymology

The word arak comes from Arabic ar (عرق, meaning 'perspiration'). Its pronunciation varies depending on the regional varieties of Arabic, e.g.: or .

Production and consumption

Arak is a traditional alcoholic beverage of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean. It is distilled and consumed across a wide area in the Middle East, including in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine and Israel.

Arak is a stronger flavored liquor and is usually mixed in proportions of approximately one part arak to two parts water in a traditional Eastern Mediterranean water vessel called an ibrik (Arabic: إبريق ar), from Middle Persian or Parthian *ābrēz. The mixture is then poured into ice-filled cups, usually small, but can also be consumed in regular sized cups. This dilution causes the clear liquor to turn a translucent milky-white color; this is because anethole, the essential oil of anise, is soluble in alcohol but not in water. This results in an emulsion whose fine droplets scatter the light and turn the liquid translucent, a phenomenon known as the ouzo effect.

Arak is often served with meze, which may include dozens of small traditional dishes, as well as with grilled meat. It is also commonly served as an apéritif.

In Lebanon

Arak is often called the national drink of Lebanon. Largely made from the Marawi and Obaideh grape varieties, a center of production is the Bekaa Valley, particularly the Kefraya, Ksara, Domaine des Tourelles, and Massaya vineyards. Zahlé, where Arak Zahlawi is produced, is considered a capital of arak. The water used in the production of Arak Zahlawi is traditionally drawn from the Berdawni River.

In Syria

In Syria arak is common. Before the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, production was dominated by two state-run firms, Al-Rayan (based in the city of Sweida) and Al-Mimas (based in a Christian settlement near Homs). Together, the two companies held about 85% of Syria's market share in arak. Since the civil war, however, the companies' profits and the price of arak have declined, with their combined market share falling to under half. Low-quality counterfeits also proliferated, using pure alcohol (rather than fermented grapes) and an aniseed substitute (rather than real aniseed).

In Iraq

Iraq formerly manufactured arak, including in Bashiqa in northern Iraq, but most arak production facilities shut down in the 2010s. Arak is distilled and consumed by Iraq's Yazidi and Christian minorities, although many members of these groups fled after ISIL seized control of large portions of northern Iraq in 2014. Amid a rise in Islamic conservatism, the Iraqi parliament passed a ban on the importing, manufacturing, and sale of alcoholic beverages in 2016, prompting protests from Iraqi non-Muslims and rights activists. The ban was not enforced until it was officially gazetted in 2023, triggering border crackdowns. The ban is not enforced in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region.

In Israel

During the age of austerity in the early years of the State of Israel, arak (in Hebrew, ערק) was locally made, with few imports. The core market for arak was among older, working-class Israelis, and the drink was not favored among younger and modern Israelis. In the first two decades of the 21st century, however, arak had a resurgence in popularity. Arak also continues to be popular among Moroccan Jews in Israel, some of whom regard arak as having folk medicine properties.

Israeli tax reforms in 2013 substantially increased the alcohol tax, and this led to consolidation of the arak market.

In Palestine

Arak is locally produced by Palestinian Christians. The West Bank city of Ramallah is a center of arak distillation. Imports of arak from Palestinian Territories within Israel to the U.S. increased after imports of Syrian arak were disrupted by the Syrian civil war.

Outside the Levant

Several arak brands are produced outside of the Eastern Mediterranean. The Sudanese araqi is a similar drink. Arak is also produced in north Africa. The Arak Carmel brand is produced in Spain, while the Arak Julenar brand is produced by an Iraqi in Greece.

Arak was once produced in Iran, until it was banned following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Iranian Armenians locally manufacture black-market arak in Iran, and some foreign brands are also smuggled in the country.

The Persian Empire Distillery, established in 2006 by a Shiraz-born Persian Canadian entrepreneur, distills an arak brand, Arak Saggi, at its distillery in Peterborough, Ontario.

Arak has achieved popularity among consumers in the North Caucasus area of Russia.

Similar drinks

Arak is very similar to other anise-based spirits, including the Turkish rakı, the Greek ouzo and tsikoudia, the Italian sambuca and anisette, the Bulgarian and Macedonian mastika, and the Spanish anís. However, it is unrelated to the similarly named arrack, a sugarcane-based Indonesian liquor.

Preparation

Manufacturing begins with the vineyards, and quality grapevines are the key to making good arak. The vines should be very mature and usually of a golden color. Instead of being irrigated, the vineyards are left to the care of the Mediterranean climate and make use of the natural rain and sun. The grapes, which are harvested in late September and early October, are crushed and put in barrels together with the juice (in Arabic el romeli) and left to ferment for three weeks. Occasionally the whole mix is stirred to release the CO2.

Both pot stills and column stills are used. Stills are usually made of stainless steel or copper. Copper stills with a Moorish shape are the most sought after.

The alcohol collected in the first distillation undergoes a second distillation, but this time it is mixed with aniseed. The ratio of alcohol to aniseed may vary and it is one of the major factors in the quality of the final product. The finished product is produced during a final distillation which takes place at the lowest possible temperature. For a quality arak, the finished spirit is then aged in clay amphoras to allow the angels' share to evaporate. The liquid remaining after this step is the most suitable for consumption.

References

References

1. (25 January 2005). "The return of Arak".
2. Rob DeSalle & Ian Tattersall, ''Distilled: A Natural History of Spirits'' (Yale University Press: 2022, pp. 264-65.
3. A 53% ABV is considered typical.Zoe Sottile, [https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/world-arak-day/index.html It's one of the world's oldest spirits. Now it's making a comeback], CNN (June 27, 2023).
4. Neil MacFarquhar, [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/19/dining/lebanons-stills-chilled-by-war-are-rekindling-the-old-fire.html Lebanon's Stills, Chilled by War, Are Rekindling the Old Fire], ''New York Times'' (January 19, 2005).
5. Dictionary definition: arak. (n.d.) American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. (2011). Retrieved 10 March 2016.
6. (December 2003). "Arak: Liquid Fire". [[The Economist]].
7. "The story of arak, a Lebanese drink infused with tradition".
8. (2020-03-09). "Understanding Arak, an Ancient Spirit with Modern Appeal".
9. Sammy Ketz, [https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/popular-syrian-drink-takes-hit-war Popular Syrian drink takes hit from the war], [[Agence France-Presse]] (April 4, 2015).
10. Dana Kessler, [https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/food/articles/magic-arak-anise-flavored-liquor The Magic of Arak], ''Tablet'' (June 30, 2023).
11. "The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon"bryq+N&cits=all).
12. Michael Karam, ''Arak and Mezze: The Taste of Lebanon'' (Saqi, 2008).
13. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/pageoneplus/corrections-249424.html Corrections], ''New York Times'' (June 26, 2005).
14. Paul Doyle, ''Lebanon'' (Bradt Travel Guides: 2016), p. 274.
15. [https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-iraq-alcohol-idUKKCN12N0FT Iraq's parliament votes to ban alcoholic beverages], Reuters (October 23, 2016).
16. Kawa Omar, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-yazidi-spirit-idUKKBN2751N8 Yazidi Iraqi keeps tradition alive of arak-making from dates], Reuters (October 20, 2020).
17. Abby Sewell & Qassim Abdul-Zahra, [https://apnews.com/article/iraq-alcohol-ban-social-media-arrests-2ae91a0db73e9ce286257e530acf4b04 Iraq's crackdown on booze, social media posts raises alarm], Associated Press (March 10, 2023).
18. The most popular producer is Joseph Gold & Sons, a winery established in 1824 in [[Haifa]] by the Gold family, which formerly made vodka [[History of the Jews in Ukraine
19. Samih K. Farsoun, ''Culture and Customs of the Palestinians'' ([[Greenwood Press]], 2004), p. 70.
20. Jeffrey Ghannan, "Hope, Figs, and a Place Called Home" in ''Arab Detroit: From Margin to Mainstream'' (eds. Andrew Shryock & Nabeel Abraham, Wayne State University Press: 2000), p. 464.
21. Michael Dumper, ''The Politics of Jerusalem Since 1967'' (Columbia University Press: 1997), p. 42.
22. [https://apnews.com/article/65bde2c2ff614a048f9308b00ea99ce7 AP PHOTOS: Canadian Arak resurrects bygone Persian drink era], Associated Press (October 29, 2019).
23. Parisa Hafezi, [https://www.reuters.com/article/iran-alcohol-idINDEEA2P05K20140326 Moonshine is just a phone call away in Islamic Iran], Reuters (March 26, 2014).
24. ''The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives'' (ed. Scott C. Martin: 2014), p. 1092.
25. (August 2010). "Another Anise Spirit Worth Knowing". The New York Times.