I’m sure you all enjoyed Eurovision live from Tel Aviv last night with a glass or two of Arak, Israel’s national drink. It’s a spirit distilled from grape juice and flavoured with aniseed. The grapes are high quality, and often harvested late to concentrate the sugars. The spirit is then triple distilled making a lighter, finer style and is bottled at high levels of ABV (alcohol by volume) following a period of maceration with the aniseed.
It’s best served with chilled water, and I prefer the ratio of two parts spirit to one part water. The addition of water makes the spirit go cloudy, and as such, it’s not unlike Turkey’s Raki or Greece’s Ouzo.
You don’t often see Arak on the high street, but you can find it online. Kawar Arak Premium Black 53% (Amazon, £37.99) is a particularly good one. As with all cask strength spirits, the Kawar should be treated with a healthy amount of respect.
If you’d prefer a Raki, try a bottle of the Yeni Raki Ala 47% (Master of Malt, £34.95). This is a step up from the standard Yeni Raki (£24.95), and is made with sun dried grapes.
Ouzo is slightly easier to find, although if you don’t have a Greek deli within walking distance, you might still be best to search online. You’ll find a decent selection under £25. I’d recommend the Ouzo 12 as a classic example of the style.
Of course, I can’t mention Eurovision without also recommending a certain cream liqueur. Terry Wogan famously enjoyed a glass or two of Baileys whilst presenting the show and I’ve always been a fan of the brand. I’m a bit of a purist and as such I tend to shy away from the limited editions and any additional flavourings. The original classic in my opinion is the best, and is available in every supermarket and wine shop on the planet. Cheers!
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