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Oct. 21, 2005
"Milk of lions" returns
Gourmet beverage from the old world is revived.
DAVE GORDON
Many people enjoy eating the food and drink from the countries
that they or their families came from. Marty Kairey, a New Jersey
resident who is commercially brewing his very own liqueur, wants
to bring an "old country" drink to "new country"
tables.
The drink is called arak – a Middle Eastern favorite
with a long history that Kairey is selling under the brand name
Zachlawi. It's a stylish-looking drink, too – the wavy, clear-glass
bottle "is something you'll quickly recognize, and [it's] different
from anything else in taste and in look," said the 43-year-old
entrepreneur.
Kairey, of Syrian-Sephardi background, is a self-described enthusiast
with a meticulous streak for emulating old-fashioned formulas. He's
a stickler for good reason, since people have been drinking and
making arak for hundreds of years, without adulterating the recipe.
Kairey said he wants to introduce that old-time flavor to a new
generation.
Described by the Arabs of the Middle East as "the milk of lions,"
arak is the national alcoholic beverage of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
It is a fiery, rough liquor made for tough palates.
It is believed that arak is among the earliest liquors. It was apparently
developed by Christian and Jewish minorities in the Middle East.
The 10th-century Arab alchemist, Albukassem, initially discovered
the art of distillation in the early Middle Ages. However, the Arabs
did not use his invention to produce alcoholic spirits, since, in
Islam, liquor is forbidden. Hence, his discovery was employed to
distil perfume from flowers and to produce kohl – a
women's eye cosmetic where a black powder is liquefied, then converted
to vapor and allowed to re-solidify.
The Arabs carried the art of distilling kohl to Spain and, from
there, it spread to the remainder of Europe. In these Christian
lands, it took on a much different use – the production of
liquor. With the use of this method of producing hard spirits, the
Arabic name al-kohl, which became alcohol, was adopted due
to the similar method the Arabs used in manufacturing this cosmetic.
In the last few decades, arak has been increasingly produced in
large manufacturing plants. The modern hard drinks of the West have
not overwhelmed the demand for this ancient peasant refreshment.
It is still the preferred liquor of those who enjoy alcoholic drinks
in the Middle East. Arak has traditionally been made with natural
spices with a fermenting fruit base, like raisins. Many people from
the "old country" add fennel for taste as well.
Commercially available Arak has been brewed only with molasses,
a less expensive means of simulating the old-fashioned taste for
mass production. But Kairey decided that quality was more important
than mere simulation. "Although raisins cost about 10 times
the amount of molasses, if you wanted a quality brew, there were
no shortcuts," he said. Zachlawi is made with fresh ingredients
like figs, raisins and star anise.
"It has a major impact on the final product," said Kairey
– explaining that star anise smells like black licorice and
adds a similar taste to the drink. Just as his recipes are traditional,
there is no doubt that the old customs are back in vogue, too. They
date back thousands of years in Jewish tradition. The Talmud, Kairey
said, even describes four types of beer, one of which – t'ainy
– happens to have been made with figs, too. There's also shechar,
date beer; pirzuma, barley beer and asni, berry beer.
Lately, more and more specialty spirits have been appearing on supermarket
shelves and in liquor stores, something that Kairey said has helped
pave the way for unique beverages such as his in the marketplace.
Various kosher brands of beer have been cropping up, including a
kosher-for-Passover variety. Beers like He'Brew, Red Cap, Ramapo
Valley, Shalom stout and Oy Vay Alt have followed suit in the kosher
alcohol arena.
For Kairey, though, Zachlawi isn't just another drink. Its uniqueness
stands out as a gourmet product to be savored. It has been almost
a year in the making and he expects the drink to arrive on shelves
in time for Chanukah parties, at stores in New York, New Jersey,
Florida, California and Canada.
"The reason I am making this wasn't because I love liquor or
I'm a big drinker," he said. "It's something that I can
do to make people happy and bring them closer to tradition."
Dave Gordon is a Toronto freelance writer.
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