Everything You Wanted to Know about Arak and More
It was a rainy October afternoon. The wind was gusting and my office window resembled the windshield of a speeding car with broken wipers. I was lost in thought when the phone rang and took me out of my reverie. It was my friend Majed , hailing from “ Saeen ”, his little village in the middle of nowhere. “ It’s time”, he simply said , “come early in the morning and bring a friend ”. Majed had already gathered enough firewood to start a bonfire. The old copper still ( Karkeh ) was in the woods, a couple of hundred yards from his house. And, he had just returned from Damascus where he bought the anise ( Yansoun ) from the spice market ( Bzourieh ). It’s moonshine time! Before I go on, let me give you more information than you ever need about my favorite drink. Arak is the perfect companion for Mezza and the ritual calls for a small glass to be used only once. Each successive drink is poured in a new glass, Arak first, followed by cold water then finally ice is added as per pre