Arak (drink)
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Arak or araq (Arabic: عرق, Hebrew: ערק), is a distilled Levantine spirit of the anise drinks family.
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.<ref name="ny35">Template:Cite news</ref> Dates, figs, and other fruits are sometimes added.<ref name=DeSalleTattersall>Rob DeSalle & Ian Tattersall, Distilled: A Natural History of Spirits (Yale University Press: 2022, pp. 264-65.</ref>
Typically, arak is a minimum of 50% alcohol by volume (ABV), and can be up to 70% ABV (140 proof).<ref name=DeSalleTattersall/> A 53% ABV is considered typical.<ref name=Sottile>Zoe Sottile, It's one of the world's oldest spirits. Now it's making a comeback, CNN (June 27, 2023).</ref><ref name=MacFarquhar>Neil MacFarquhar, Lebanon's Stills, Chilled by War, Are Rekindling the Old Fire, New York Times (January 19, 2005).</ref>
Etymology
The word arak comes from Arabic Template:Transliteration (Template:Lang, meaning 'perspiration').<ref>Dictionary definition: arak. (n.d.) American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. (2011). Retrieved 10 March 2016.</ref> Its pronunciation varies depending on the regional varieties of Arabic, e.g.: Template:IPA or Template:IPA.Template:Citation needed
Production and consumption
Arak is a traditional alcoholic beverage of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean.<ref name=DeSalleTattersall/><ref name=SAGE964>The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives (ed. Scott C. Martin: 2014), p. 946.</ref> It is distilled and consumed across a wide area in the Middle East,<ref name=DeSalleTattersall/><ref name="aa900">Template:Cite web</ref> including in Lebanon,<ref name=TE>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="winemag221">Template:Cite news</ref> Syria,<ref name=Ketz>Sammy Ketz, Popular Syrian drink takes hit from the war, Agence France-Presse (April 4, 2015).</ref> Jordan,<ref name=Kessler>Dana Kessler, The Magic of Arak, Tablet (June 30, 2023).</ref> 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: Template:Lang Template:Transliteration), from Middle Persian or Parthian *ābrēz.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=MacFarquhar/><ref name=Karam>Michael Karam, Arak and Mezze: The Taste of Lebanon (Saqi, 2008).</ref><ref>Corrections, New York Times (June 26, 2005).</ref> It is also commonly served as an apéritif.<ref name=SAGE964/>
In Lebanon
Arak is often called the national drink of Lebanon.<ref name=Doyle>Paul Doyle, Lebanon (Bradt Travel Guides: 2016), p. 274.</ref> 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.<ref name=Doyle/> Zahlé, where Arak Zahlawi is produced, is considered a capital of arak.<ref name=Kessler/> The water used in the production of Arak Zahlawi is traditionally drawn from the Berdawni River.<ref name=Kessler/>
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 Druze 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.<ref name=Ketz/> Low-quality counterfeits also proliferated, using pure alcohol (rather than fermented grapes) and an aniseed substitute (rather than real aniseed).<ref name=Ketz/>
In Iraq
Iraq formerly manufactured arak, including in Bashiqa in northern Iraq, but most arak production facilities shut down in the 2010s.<ref name=Iraq2016Ban>Iraq's parliament votes to ban alcoholic beverages, Reuters (October 23, 2016).</ref> 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.<ref>Kawa Omar, Yazidi Iraqi keeps tradition alive of arak-making from dates, Reuters (October 20, 2020).</ref> 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.<ref name=Iraq2016Ban/><ref name=SewellAbdul-Zahra>Abby Sewell & Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Iraq's crackdown on booze, social media posts raises alarm, Associated Press (March 10, 2023).</ref> The ban was not enforced until it was officially gazetted in 2023, triggering border crackdowns.<ref name=SewellAbdul-Zahra/> The ban is not enforced in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region.<ref name=SewellAbdul-Zahra/>
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.<ref name=Kessler/> Arak also continues to be popular among Moroccan Jews in Israel, some of whom regard arak as having folk medicine properties.<ref name=Kessler/>
Israeli tax reforms in 2013 substantially increased the alcohol tax, and this led to consolidation of the arak market.<ref name=Kessler/> The most popular producer is Joseph Gold & Sons, a winery established in 1824 in Haifa by the Gold family, which formerly made vodka in Ukraine before establishing an arak distillery in Israel. The winery, having moved later to Tirat Carmel outside Haifa, produces different arak brands, including Elite Arak, Alouf Arak, and Amir Arak.<ref name=Kessler/> Other major arak producers include Barkan Wine Cellars (which produces Arak Ashkelon) and Kawar Distillery (which produces Arak Kawar, Arak Yuda, and Arak Noah).<ref name=Kessler/> After the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, some former South Lebanon Army members who settled in Israel began to produce arak using Lebanese (Zahlé) methods.<ref name=Kessler/><ref>Dan Williams, Exiled to Lebanese brewer keeps up spirits, Reuters (August 6, 2009).</ref>
In Palestine
Arak is locally produced by Palestinian Christians.<ref>Samih K. Farsoun, Culture and Customs of the Palestinians (Greenwood Press, 2004), p. 70.</ref> The West Bank city of Ramallah is a center of arak distillation.<ref>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.</ref><ref>Michael Dumper, The Politics of Jerusalem Since 1967 (Columbia University Press: 1997), p. 42.</ref> 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.<ref name=Sottile/>
Outside the Levant
Several arak brands are produced outside of the Eastern Mediterranean. The Sudanese araqi is a similar drink.<ref name=DeSalleTattersall/> Arak is also produced in north Africa.<ref name=DeSalleTattersall/> The Arak Carmel brand is produced in Spain, while the Arak Julenar brand is produced by an Iraqi in Greece.<ref name=Kessler/>
Arak was once produced in Iran, until it was banned following the 1979 Iranian Revolution.<ref name=Canadian>AP PHOTOS: Canadian Arak resurrects bygone Persian drink era, Associated Press (October 29, 2019).</ref> Iranian Armenians locally manufacture black-market arak in Iran,<ref name=Canadian/><ref>Parisa Hafezi, Moonshine is just a phone call away in Islamic Iran, Reuters (March 26, 2014).</ref> and some foreign brands are also smuggled in the country.<ref name=Canadian/> A locally made Iranian arak moonshine, aragh sagi, is made from fermented raisins; in 2020 it sold on the black market for about US$10 for 1.5 liters.<ref>In Iran, false belief a poison fights virus kills hundreds, Associated Press (March 27, 2020).</ref>
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.<ref name=Canadian/>
Arak has achieved popularity among consumers in the North Caucasus area of Russia.<ref name=SAGE1092>The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives (ed. Scott C. Martin: 2014), p. 1092.</ref>
Similar drinks
Arak is very similar to other anise-based spirits, including the Turkish rakı, the Greek ouzo and <ref name=DeSalleTattersall/><ref name=SAGE964/> tsikoudia,<ref name=Sottile/> the Italian sambuca and anisette, the Bulgarian and Macedonian mastika, and the Spanish anis.<ref name=SAGE964/> However, it is unrelated to the similarly named arrack, a sugarcane-based Indonesian liquor.<ref name=DeSalleTattersall/>
Preparation
Manufacturing begins with the vineyards, and quality grapevines are the key to making good arak.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name=DeSalleTattersall/> Stills are usually made of stainless steel or copper. Copper stills with a Moorish shape are the most sought after.<ref name=Karam/>
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.<ref name=TE/> Template:Clear