Arak - Aniseed Liqueur
Traditional Drink With Meze, Cousin of Zibib, Ouzo, Pastis & Mastika
This aniseed flavored liqueur is a favorite accompaniment to Meze, a cooling refreshment on a hot day, and a drink steeped in ancient history.
Arak – the name in Arabic can be translated as "sweat"- is a colorless, unsweetened distilled alcoholic liqueur that is usually strongly flavored with aniseed. It has absolutely no connection with another similarly named liqueur, Arrack (which comes from an entirely different part of the world). Arak is made by fermenting grapes together with water, aniseed and – sometimes – some additional sugar. Cheaper Araks have more sugar than actual grapes, expensive varieties have little, if any, extra sugar added.
In Iraq, a version of the liqueur is created from fermented date juice and, in Iran, another version leaves out the aniseed, the result having a higher alcohol content than some other versions.
Arak’s Other Names
Other variations throughout the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern counties include spirits made from plums, figs, grains, potatoes and even molasses. In Egpyt, there is also a homemade peasant version called Zibib.
Arak is a quintessential Middle Eastern drink, traditionally taken alongside the usual Meze’s served prior to a meal or in the midst of a lazy afternoon or hot summer evening, in place of a heavy supper.
Arak is one of the most ancient libations of a Middle Eastern culture, dating from sometime in the early Islamic period. Interesting, because of Islam’s prohibitions against strong drink. It is produced throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean and bears striking similarities to such other drinks as the Greek Ouzo, Turkish Raki, French Pastis, Macedonian and Bulgarian Mastika, Spanish Ojen, and the Armenian Oghi .
Serving Arak
Stronger than many other traditional liqueurs, Arak is most usually not drunk straight – in its crystal clear state – but is most generally mixed with water and served ice cold: 1/3 Arak to 2/3 Water and ice. As water is added, Arak takes on a milky, opaque color. It is also traditionally mixed with various fruit juices and with teas.
Whether water, juice or tea is used as a dilutor, tradition and aesthetics dictate that that the liquid be added before the ice is stirred in. Why? Because when you pour Arak directly over ice, the sudden, abrupt chill shocks the fats that come from the aniseeds during the distillation process. These are quickly solidified out of the liqueur and form an unpleasant tasting skin on the surface of the drink. In fact, it is this very fat reaction that causes the drink’s milky color to develop when any liquid is added. But – when the water is added first – the fats have a chance to become better emulsified, resulting in a far more pleasing texture.
In restaurants and tavernas, Arak is usually served with many more small glasses on the tray than there are drinkers at the table. This is because tradition also dictates that a glass not be refilled with Arak – a tradition not usually followed in a private home.
Making Arak
Making a fine Arak begins with the grapes. Traditionally, they are golden varieties, grown "naturally" in the hot sun, with little or no irrigation. This tends to produce a grape with a high sugar content. Arak is distilled twice – once to coax the alcohol out of the fermented grapes, and once more to blend the alcohol with the aniseed – the quantity of aniseed used in the second distillation has a direct impact on the quality of the resulting Arak.
Often, the second distillation is the cause for a party at the distillery, as friends and family gather to partake of the freshly produced liqueur. In Lebanon, these often take place in November high in the mountains and are a great cause for celebration.
