• Category: raisin brandy
• Alcohol: 50%
• Origin: USA
• Manufacturer: Bear & Eagle Products
• Bought at: Wholesome Choice supermarket, Irvine CA (Thanks Henk!)

This is strictly no Arabic liquor, but Persian. Moreover, it is not made in Iran but in California, where apparently a large part of the Iranian diaspora is found. Nevertheless I find it suitable to discuss this liquor because of the obscurity factor. What immediately attracts attention is the amalgamation of scripts on the label: from top to bottom, Armenian, Russian, Arabic, and Latin. The Arabic scripts says “raisin arak” in Persian, and it is exactly that. Using dried grapes (raisins) as a basis for a brandy is quite special since most grape-based brandies are either based on normal grapes (cognac), or on pomace (grappa, marc). Indeed it is so special that I am unaware of other manufacturers. At first smell it immediately reminds of spiritus, but the taste itself is very fruity and pleasant. The taste clearly resembles overripe fruit, similar to Spanish orujo; this characteristic can of course be ascribed to the raisins. The “overripeness” is however not necessarily a bad thing, and indeed it works quite well here. There is significantly more to taste than in grape or pomace brandies. With 50% alcohol the drink is quite fierce, and diluting it with some water makes it more palatable (there is however also a 40% alcohol version available). 8/10

External link: Bear & Eagle Products

• Category: arak (on the basis of raisins)
• Alcohol: 35%
• Origin: Egypt
• Manufacturer: Salt and Pepper
• Bought at: Liquor store, Cairo, Egypt

Zibib is an Egyptian aniseed flavoured drink. Contrary to arak, which is made of pomace, zibib is made of raisins. The aroma is not as strong as arak, and it contains less alcohol (35% in zibib, and 53% in arak), but the quality is rather good compared to the other Egyptian spirits I tried. Nevertheless it is a few steps below proper arak. Last summer in Yemen, I became very fluent in Arabic after some of these drinks with a fellow student. Still it does not get more than 6/10.