Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Saturday 1 June 2019

Making, drinking arak a source of national pride in Lebanon

By FADI TAWIL prolong the drinking and
Associated Press the gathering.
TAANAYEL, Lebanon (AP) The ice cubes are another
— Every part of Lebanon’s discussion. For some, the
national drink, arak, is in- glass is filled with ice cubes
fused with tradition — from first before pouring the
distilling the aniseed-tinged drink. Those truly religious
liquor to the ritual of mixing about the drink insist that
it at the table, when the ice must come last.
transparent liquid suddenly No one can clearly explain
turns milky white as water is the difference, but theories
added. abound. Some say arak is
Arak is a staple of big Sun- further weakened if the ice
day meals. With a sweet is already sitting in the glass.
taste and high alcohol con- Others say, don’t question
tent, around 40 percent, it’s tradition.
best consumed with food The making of arak is a
— lots of it. That makes it family affair, with secrets
perfect for Lebanon’s tra- passed from one genera-
ditional meze, spreads of tion to another.
never-ending small dishes Central to the process is a
that family and friends lin- triple distillation using a still
ger over for hours. called a “karakeh” in Ara-
Aficionados say arak is vi- bic. The harvest is in Sep-
tal to digesting the home- In this Saturday Sept. 8, 2018 photo, a Lebanese man drinks arak from a traditional glass pitcher tember and October. The
made raw meat dishes that during a festival that celebrates Lebanon’s national alcoholic drink, in the town of Taanayel, east grapes are crushed and
are central to a meze. The Lebanon. left to ferment for three
real impact comes at the Associated Press weeks. The mix is then put in
end of the meal, when you usually opt for the home- said the drink is a natural It is to be drunk from small the lower part of the kara-
stand up after all that eat- made. With so much home digestif. It was a nod to glasses — bigger than a keh, where it is heated until
ing and the alcohol from production, it is hard to tell Lebanon’s growing mar- shot glass but smaller than it evaporates and cooled
glass after glass really hits. how much arak is made. ket for holistic and natural an Old Fashioned glass — in the top part by a stream
But the tradition is facing Lebanon’s Blom Bank esti- products. arranged on a tray at the of cold water. At this stage,
competition in Lebanon as mated in 2016 that around “The most important thing top of a table laden with it is pure alcohol. Anise and
young generations opt for 2 billion bottles a year are about arak is that our meze. A new glass is used water may be added in
liquors like vodka or whiskey produced in the country, grandfathers used herbs to with each new serving. the second or third distilla-
that are easier to mix and with nearly a quarter of it treat illness, not medicine. Some prefer to drink it in a tion. The mix is what makes
drink — without a meal. exported, mostly for Leba- They believed in herbs, so tall glass. each house’s taste unique.
Arak is comparable to nese expats yearning for they chose to make arak It is often mixed in a tradi- Homemade arak usually
Greece’s ouzo or Turkey’s their local drink. with green anise because it tional glass pitcher, round goes straight into gallon
raki, which are also grape- At a recent festival in Ta- has anethole, a compound with a short beak-like spout. containers after distillation,
based drinks with the lico- anayel, a town east of that aids digestion,” said That makes it easy to drink ready for drinking. In com-
rice-like flavor of anise. Leb- Beirut, several commercial Issa, the company’s admin- straight from the pitcher mercial production, the
anese say arak is smoother. companies and smaller istrative manager. when the party really gets arak sits in clay jugs for a
Many families make it at boutique houses show- Some Beirut bars have in- going. year, making it smoother,
home, each boasting their cased their araks in a cel- troduced an infused ver- Drinkers staunchly debate Issa said. “Wine ages but
particular flavor and kick. ebration aimed at promot- sion of arak, adding a twig the best way to mix. arak rests,” Issa said.
Restaurants often serve ing the drink to the young. of basil or rosemary, to at- Some prefer half water, half Issa’s father introduced a
both commercially pro- Christiane Issa, whose fam- tract young drinkers. Issa arak — a strong, sweet mix, new technique, letting it
duced versions and home- ily owns one of Lebanon’s suggests watermelon. usually not for the newbies. sit in the clay jugs for five
made varieties, known as largest arak producers, Passions run strong over ev- More common is one-third years before going to mar-
“Arak Baladeh.” Regulars Doumaine de Tourelles, ery detail of arak tradition. arak to two-thirds water, to ket. Her family bought Dou-
maine de Tourelles 18 years
ago and now it produces
350,000 bottles a year of
Arak Brun, named after the
Frenchman who founded it
in 1868.
At the Taanayel festival,
visitors sipped on the sweet
drink with their meals.
Michel Sabat was market-
ing his new Arak al-Naim, or
“Arak of Paradise.”
He said with so many pro-
ducers, arak can only get
better.
In this Saturday Sept. 8, 2018 photo, workers unload freshly “There is a lot of competi-
In this Saturday Sept. 8, 2018 photo, a worker carries bag of anise picked grapes to be cleaned and begin the process that tion here in Lebanon, so
that is used to produce arak, Lebanon’s national alcoholic drink, turns them into arak, Lebanon’s national alcoholic drink, at those who produce arak
at the Doumaine de Tourelles winery, in the town of Chtaura, the Doumaine de Tourelles winery, in the town of Chtaura east have to make sure it is very
east Lebanon. Lebanon.
Associated Press Associated Press good quality.”q