In flavor of arak

This article is part of an Executive special report on beer, wine and arak. Read more stories as they’re published here, or pick up October’s issue at newsstands in Lebanon. No Lebanese mezze table is complete without a pitcher of milky white arak and its accompanying little glasses. This anise infused drink made from distilled grapes, which turns white when water is added, is part of the Levant’s culinary heritage as a whole, and is an integral part of Lebanon’s, which has the highest number of commercial producers and where villagers take pride in producing their own homemade — or baladeh — arak. Is homemade the best? There are no official figures available for the annual production of arak, but in addition to commercially-produced varieties, arak baladeh — or homemade arak — is prevalent. Producing the drink at home is a standing tradition among villagers, possibly due to the relative ease