Arak Touma (75cl, 50%)

Arak Touma is a Lebanese arak made at Château St. Thomas (Clos St. Thomas) in Kab-elias, in the Bekaa Valley, where the Touma family has produced wine and arak since 1888. It is bottled at 50% in a 75cl bottle. The spirit is a grape distillate, distilled four times with whole aniseed only, never star anise, oils or extracts. It then rests for at least six months in earthenware jars before bottling, and it is completely unsweetened. It has a clean, pronounced aniseed character over the grape spirit, and turns milky white when water is added. A common serve is one part arak to two parts cold water with ice, alongside mezze.