365 Drinks: #83 Homemade Arak (Iran)

The sand peoples’ favorite drink

Another day in Iran. Facebook is blocked, my news apps are blocked even if I try to download some software for work… blocked. Semi got told off in a metro station that her hijab is not appropriately covering her hair. What a great country. But to be fair, all people we had the chance to talk to for a while were fun-loving people that always told us, “We are not like the government”. And it is true, I have never seen a country with more people knowing about proxys and vpns than Iran. And even myob is common. So I proudly present for today’s drink of the day, homemade arak.

Arak is a grape spirit compared to grape rakia or Georgian cha-cha, and this one had an extra add-on. It was left in the sun for one and a half weeks longer with sliced Iranian baby lemons. The outcome is fantastic. It had a lemon smell and was slightly yellow which reminded me of my favourite tea from Germany. The taste was quite sour with a slight alcoholic aftertaste. It was truly great and even though alcohol is forbidden, some people in Iran know what they are doing when it comes to making alcohol.

The Breakdown