Zahle Specialty · Anise Spirit
Arak Zahlawi
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: Bapak Alex / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
Add water to the clear spirit and it turns cloudy white almost instantly — the same 'ouzo effect' reaction that turns anise spirits milky worldwide — which is why it's always served diluted in a small pitcher called an ibrik rather than poured straight.
Grapes are crushed and fermented for three weeks, distilled, then redistilled with aniseed added on the second pass, and the best batches age in clay amphoras before bottling. Zahle's riverside restaurants pour it cut roughly one part arak to two parts water over ice, alongside a spread of mezze.
Why it's made this way: Zahle draws its production water from the Berdawni River running through town, and the city's reputation for the spirit runs deep enough that Lebanese simply call the local style 'Arak Zahlawi.'
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