Arak Rayan.

Arak or araq (Arabic: عرق IPA [ʕaraq]) is a clear, colourless, unsweetened aniseed-flavoured distilled alcoholic drink, produced in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. The word comes from Arabic araq عرق, meaning "sweat" or "juice". Bottle of Arak Rayan taken by Dean Earley This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Bottle of Arak Rayan taken by Dean Earley This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Arabic language (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), or simply Arabic (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... IPA may refer to: The International Phonetic Alphabet or India Pale Ale ... Binomial name Pimpinella anisum L. Anise or Aniseed, less commonly anís (stressed on the second syllable) (Pimpinella anisum) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia. ... Various distilled beverages in a Spanish bar A distilled beverage is a liquid preparation meant for consumption containing ethyl alcohol purified by distillation from a fermented substance such as fruit, vegetables, or grain. ... Bottles of cachaça, a Brazilian alcoholic beverage. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The Arabic language (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), or simply Arabic (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ...

Consumption

Arak with water and ice.

Arak is usually not drunk straight, but is mixed in approximately equal proportion with water, and ice is then added. This dilution causes the liquor to turn an opaque milky-white colour. Drinkers may also take arak with a chaser on the side. Arak is usually served with mezza, which could include dozens of small dishes, which many arak drinkers prefer as accompaniment rather than main courses. When the main course of the meal is served, it may hardly be touched, in favour of these smaller dishes. It is also well apreciated with barbecues, along with garlic sauce. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (709x924, 118 KB) Summary Glass of Arak, Traditional Author: Mica Source: shot by mica Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (709x924, 118 KB) Summary Glass of Arak, Traditional Author: Mica Source: shot by mica Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A chaser can be: Somebody who chases somebody A player in the fictional Harry Potter sport Quidditch The anti-hangover pill Chaser (tablet) A usually non-alcoholic drink consumed immediately after drinking a potent liquor, to dull the harsh taste of alcohol. ... Goes well with ouzo/raki A Mezze (Turkish Meze Arabic: مزة; Greek Mezes, pl. ... Garlic sause as prepared in Lebanon Part of the Lebanese cuisine. ...

Tradition requires that water is added before ice, because if ice is added directly it results in the formation of an aesthetically unpleasing skin on the surface of the drink. For the same reason, an arak glass should never be refilled directly after being emptied; a clean glass must be used each time. In restaurants, when a bottle of arak is ordered the waiter will usually bring a number of glasses along with it for this reason.

Preparation

It all begins with the vineyards, and the grapevine quality. The vine should be well mature, usually of a golden colour. The vineyards are not spinkled, they are left to the care of the Mediterranean climate, natural rain and sun. The grapes are cultivated in late September and October. The grapes are squeezed and put in barrels together with the juice (in Arabic El Mestarr), and left to ferment for three weeks. Occasionally the whole mix is stirred to release the CO₂. Look up September in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Now the first distillation, the goal is to get the alcohol out of the mixture that has fermented for three weeks. The distillation is done using the alembic or el karkeh also al karkeh, made of copper. It's basically three parts. the lower being a container used to boil what's inside (on fire). The middle part collects the vapors coming out of the boiling ingredients. The third part is used to cool the vapor that will be transformed to liquid and collected on its way out, usually in a container of glass. So the mixture of all the fermented and squeezed grapes is put into the lower part and it is boiled at a temperature around 80°C (boiling temperature of alcohol), but below 100°C (boiling temperature of water). The idea is to collect the alcohol in the container without any water. An alembic is an alchemical still consisting of two retorts connected by a tube. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ...

Aniseed on wooden table.

Now the second distillation, here is made the actual final product. The alcohol collected in first distillation is to be distilled again but this time mixed with aniseed. The whole alembic is washed to remove all the remainings of the precedent distillation. The alcohol (in Arabic sbirtou ) and the aniseed are mixed together in the lower part of the karkeh (called in Arabic ddessett). The ratio of alcohol to aniseed may vary, it's one of the major factors of the quality of the final product. Another distillation takes place, usually on the lowest possible temperature. The procedure is very slow. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1573x1261, 656 KB) Summary Aniseed on table author: mica source: photo shot by mica URL: N/A Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1573x1261, 656 KB) Summary Aniseed on table author: mica source: photo shot by mica URL: N/A Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... An alembic is an alchemical still consisting of two retorts connected by a tube. ...

Traditionally a drinking party takes place at the same time. People would gather to help the producer and have a drinking party. This is one of the most prestigious and traditional parties of the Lebanese mountains. It usually takes place in November.

Note: Once the first distillation is done, it's not mandatory to have the second one immediately after.

Variations

One of the basic varieties, considered by many to be the prototypical arak, is distilled from grapes and anise. Numerous varieties of arak are popular in all the countries edging the Mediterranean, and in parts of the Far East. In the Levant, it is distilled from fermented grape juice or, at times, sugar, and is considered by the inhabitants to be greatly superior to similar hard liquors in other countries. The same spirit in the Balkans and Turkey, called Rakı – another form of the word arak – is made from a variety of products like grain, molasses, plums, figs and potatoes. Other similar drinks are the arak of Iraq, made from fermented date juice, the zibib of Egypt, a peasant-made drink, and Greek ouzo, the most popular aperitif in that country. An Iranian variant, called Aragh-e Sagi (Persian: عرق سگی, literally dog's arak), is produced without anise, and has a higher ABV content than other varieties. Further west, along the northern shores of the Mediterranean, the Italian anesone, French pastis and Spanish ojén, served as aperitifs or refreshers, are all sweeter versions of arak. Also, in the Far East, a comparable drink known as arrack, distilled from palm sap or rice, is very popular; in Korea it is known as Soju. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Binomial name Pimpinella anisum L. Anise or Aniseed, less commonly anís (stressed on the second syllable) (Pimpinella anisum) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia. ... The Levant Levant is an imprecise geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. ... Grape juice is the liquid formed by crushing grapes. ... Magnified view of refined sugar crystals. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Rakı becomes cloudy white, when mixed with water. ... The word grain has several meanings, most being descriptive of a small piece or particle. ... Molasses or treacle is a thick, syrupy derivative of the juice of the sugarcane plant or the processing of sugar beet. ... Plum is also a nickname for British humorist P. G. Wodehouse. ... Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis- Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina- Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica- Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla- Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa- Chinese... Binomial name Solanum tuberosum L. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, grown for its starchy tuber. ... A bottle of ouzo Ouzo (ούζο) is a Greek anise-flavored liqueur that is widely consumed in Greece. ... Persian is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Alcohol by volume (ABV) is an indication of how much alcohol (expressed as a percentage) is included in an alcoholic beverage. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur and aperitif from France, typically containing 40-45% alcohol by volume, although there exist alcohol-free varieties. ... Ojén (pop approx 2000) is a town which sits in the mountains behind Marbella in Andalucia, Southern Spain. ... Arrack refers to the strong spirits distilled mainly in South East Asia from fermented fruits, grains, sugarcane, or the sap of coconuts or other palm trees. ... Korea (Korean:한국, Hanguk, or ì¡°ì„ , ChosÇ’n or Joseon) is a civilization and geographical area situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia, bordering China (PRC) to the northwest and Russia to the northeast, with Japan situated to the southeast across the Korea Strait. ... Soju is an alcoholic beverage with origins in Korea. ...

While arak is extremely popular in Syria, the most prized brands are Lebanese, amongst them Ksarak and, most famous of all, Massaya. Many Lebanese drinkers, however, themselves distil their own liquor. The quality of home-made arak (arak baladi) is considered far superior to commercial brands. Some restaurants occasionally serve home-made Arak at a very high price.

Many the Lebanese towns are well known for their high quality home made Arak, among them Zahle in the Bekaa valley. The best quality can be found in Toula, a village in the Northern Lebanese Mountains. Zahle (also spelled Zahlah and Zahlé) (Arabic: زحلة) is a red-roofed town set among the eastern foothills of Mount Sannine and enjoys a prime location in the Beqaa valley of Lebanon. ... The Beqaa Beqaa is a governorate in Lebanon with a population of 750,000 inhabitants. ...

The ABV differs from one version to another, with the most alcoholic reaching 80% or even more. The best quality arak is usually between 53% and 60%; when mixed with water it is diluted to 20-30%. Alcohol by volume (ABV) is an indication of how much alcohol (expressed as a percentage) is included in an alcoholic beverage. ...

History

It is believed that arak was developed by the Christian and Jewish minorities of the Islamic Middle East. Jabir ibn Hayyan, a Muslim alchemist of the early Islamic era, invented the alembic, which facilitated the distillation of alcoholic spirits, the name used in Lebanon is al karkeh or little more formally al kattara. However, Muslims did not use his invention to produce alcoholic beverages since, in Islam, the consumption of alcohol is forbidden. Hence, his discovery was employed to distill perfume from flowers and to produce kohl, a women's eye cosmetic in which a black powder is liquified, then converted to vapour and allowed to re-solidify. Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, known by Christians as Jesus Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people with around 15 million followers as of 2006 [1]. It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ) is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Quran. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... 15th-century European portrait of Geber, Codici Ashburnhamiani 1166, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan (Arabic: جابر ابن حیان) (ca. ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... An alembic is an alchemical still consisting of two retorts connected by a tube. ... Strathisla whisky distillery in Keith, Scotland Distillation is a method of separation of substances based on differences in their vapor pressures. ... Kohl is a traditional Middle Eastern cosmetic Kohls is a company that operates department stores located in the United States. ...

The Arabs carried the art of distilling kohl to Spain from where it spread to the remainder of Europe. In these Christian lands, it took on a much different use: the production of alcoholic drinks. With the utilisation of this method of producing hard spirits, the Arabic name "al-kohl", which became alcohol, was adopted due to the similar method the Arabs used in manufacturing this cosmetic. The words in English relating to the art of distillation, besides alcohol, such as "alchemy", "alchemist", and "alembic" attest to the Arab origin of producing the many intoxicants found in western lands. Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group. ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ...

Traditionally, arak was generally of local or village manufacture, but in the last few decades it has increasingly been produced in large manufacturing plants. It has remained the preference of those who enjoy alcoholic drinks in the Middle East, in competition with the many drinks imported from the West.

See also

• Arrack, a different drink from Southeast Asia
• Airag, a Mongolian drink
• Flavored liquor

Arrack refers to the strong spirits distilled mainly in South East Asia from fermented fruits, grains, sugarcane, or the sap of coconuts or other palm trees. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Kumis (called airag by the Mongolians), is a traditional drink of the people of Central Asia. ... Flavored liquors are distilled alcoholic beverages with added flavorings. ...

Sources and external links

• Wine and Dine e-magazine