🥃 Arak
Arak is the Levantine aniseed spirit served with meze. «Lebanese arak» by law is only fermented-grape spirit distilled with aniseed seeds, 40–60% ABV; with water it turns white (the ouzo effect).
Arak (عرق) is the aniseed spirit of the Levant, poured over water and ice to go with meze. Under a Lebanese decree of 1998, the name «Lebanese arak» may be given only to spirit from fermented grapes distilled together with aniseed seeds. When water is added, the clear drink turns white; chemists call this the ouzo effect. 1
Decree No. 171/1 of 19 August 1998, according to the official summary in the FAOLEX database, bans industrial alcohol, industrial aniseed essence and any added fermentable substances: sugar, syrup, molasses. Distilled water is allowed for dilution. Grapes may be distilled only from 1 September to 15 December, and Lebanese arak is 40 to 60% ABV. 12
How it is made. A BLOMINVEST bank review describes the usual path: Obeidi or Merwah grapes are picked by hand in September–October and left to ferment for 15 days, then the wine is distilled three times, with anise added at the second or third distillation. The producer Massaya gives the steps for its own arak: wine at 13%, then about 45% and 65%, and distilling with anise gives about 70%; the arak then rests in jars and is diluted to 50%. These are examples of practice, not legal requirements. 67
According to the BLOMINVEST review, arak is regarded as Lebanon's national drink, and most of the arak drunk in the country is not factory-made but homemade, known as arak baladeh. A copper still is considered best, but such stills were once so costly that only the wealthy could make arak. 6
Why does arak turn cloudy? Such drinks consist mainly of water, ethanol and trans-anethole, the aromatic compound of aniseed. In strong alcohol the anethole stays dissolved, and when the drink is diluted with water it spontaneously forms tiny emulsion droplets. The same happens with Greek ouzo, Turkish raki and French pastis. 3
On the EU market, similar drinks fall under category 25, aniseed-flavoured spirit drink, with a minimum strength of 15% ABV: the flavour comes from aniseed, star anise or fennel, and aniseed must predominate. 4
Why this matters to you. Lebanese arak by law is only grape spirit and real aniseed seeds, with no sugar, molasses or industrial essence; other raw material on a label means a different drink. The popular claim that the law requires triple distillation and a year in clay jars is not supported by the decree's summary. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe amount of alcohol. 15
Facts
| Legal basis | Lebanese decree No. 171/1 of 19 Aug 1998 (Official Gazette No. 41, 10 Sept 1998) 12 |
|---|---|
| Raw material | grape spirit and aniseed seeds; no sugar or molasses 1 |
| Distillation method | spirit is distilled with aniseed; only 1 September – 15 December 1 |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40–60% ABV (Lebanon) 1 |
| EU category | 25 — aniseed-flavoured spirit drink (from 15% ABV) on the EU market 4 |
How it connects to Wine
🥃 Arak → kind of → 🥃 Grape products → kind of → 🍷 Wine
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Arak → kind of → 🌿 Anise spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation
- Packed in
- 🍷 Wine label
- Made from
- 🥃 Anise, 🍇 Obeidi
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Images and sayings
- 🥃 Anise
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Lebanese
- Part of
- 🥃 Grape products, 🌿 Anise spirits
- Where it is made
- 🌍 Anatolia and the Middle East
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Rakı, 🥃 Ouzo, 🌿 Pastis, 🌿 Pastis de Marseille, 🥃 Anis, 🌿 Sambuca, 🥃 Sri Lankan arrack, 🥃 Mastika, 🥃 Mastika, 🥃 Sri Lankan arrack
Frequently asked questions
What is Lebanese arak under the law?
Under decree No. 171/1 of 19 Aug 1998, it is spirit from fermented grapes, distilled with aniseed seeds, with no industrial alcohol, industrial essence, sugar, syrup or molasses, at a strength of 40 to 60% ABV.
Why does arak turn white with water?
Anethole, the aromatic compound of aniseed, is dissolved in strong alcohol. When the drink is diluted with water, the anethole spontaneously forms tiny emulsion droplets and the liquid becomes milky white. This is called the ouzo effect.
How is arak different from ouzo and raki?
All three are aniseed drinks that turn white with water. Lebanese arak under the decree is made only from grape spirit without sugar; ouzo and raki are Greek and Turkish traditions with their own rules.
Is it true that Lebanese law requires triple distillation?
The summary of the 1998 decree contains no such requirement, nor any mandatory ageing in clay jars. The number of distillations varies between producers; the law sets the raw material, the distilling season and the strength.
What is arak baladeh?
Homemade arak. According to the BLOMINVEST review, it makes up most of the arak drunk in Lebanon.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation — Yeast eats the sugar in the must and releases alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- 🍷 Wine label — The sticker on a bottle: who made it, where from, the year and strength.
- 🌍 Anatolia and the Middle East — A region where Europe, Asia and Africa meet, from Turkey and Cyprus to Iran, Arabia and Egypt; one of the cradles of dairying, land of ayran and labneh, and the homeland of the olive.
- 🥃 Anis — Anis is an aniseed spirit (EU category 28) flavoured only by anise, star anise or fennel: from 35% ABV, natural flavourings only; in Slovenian also janeževec.
Similar
🥃 Rakı · 🥃 Ouzo · 🥃 Raisin · 🥃 Pomace brandy · 🥃 Grape rakia · 🥃 Grape syrup
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Lebanon: Resolution No. 171/1 of 19.08.1998 defining the requirements for producing and naming the Lebanese Arack (Official Gazette No. 41, 10.09.1998) — FAOLEX record and English abstract
- Resolution No. 171/1 (1998), original Arabic text (FAOLEX PDF)
- Carteau D., Bassani D., Pianet I. The “Ouzo effect”: following the spontaneous emulsification of trans-anethole in water. C. R. Chimie 11 (2008) 493–498
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, Annex I, category 25 (aniseed-flavoured spirit drink)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)
- BLOMINVEST Bank. Arak: Lebanon's Noble Drink (2016)
- Massaya. How we make arak