What does arak mean?
Arak is a clear, potent distilled spirit flavoured with aniseed, produced and consumed throughout the Middle East, especially in the Levant — Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. Typically made by distilling fermented grapes with aniseed, it is the region's answer to Turkey's rakı, Greece's ouzo, and France's pastis, all members of the same Mediterranean family of anise drinks. Arak is rarely taken neat: the customary ritual is to pour it into a glass, add water, and watch it transform into a milky, opalescent white — a change so striking that the drink is affectionately known in some circles as 'lion's milk'. It is traditionally served alongside mezze, the array of small savoury dishes that anchor a Levantine meal, and its presence signals hospitality, leisurely conversation, and shared food. For travellers and enthusiasts of world spirits, arak offers both a distinctive taste of liquorice-like warmth and a window into centuries of regional drinking tradition.
nounA colourless, aniseed-flavoured distilled spirit popular in the Middle East, typically made from grapes and drunk diluted with water, which turns it milky white.
- An aniseed-flavoured distilled spirit of the Middle East, made from grapes and traditionally diluted with water before drinking.
"They lingered over glasses of arak and small plates of mezze as the evening cooled."
"The waiter brought a bottle of arak along with bowls of hummus and olives."
"He learned to sip arak slowly, adding ice and watching the liquid turn opaque."
Rarely pluralised in ordinary use; when different varieties are discussed, they may be referred to collectively as 'araks'.
"The shop stocked several araks from Lebanese and Syrian distilleries."
Pour water into arak and it turns cloudy white — a dramatic reaction that earned it the nickname 'lion's milk' across the Levant.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arak
The word arak comes from the Arabic ʿaraq (عرق), meaning 'sweat' or 'juice', referring originally to the liquid condensed during distillation. It entered European languages in the early modern period through trade and travel in the Ottoman Empire and the wider Middle East. The same Arabic root underlies the closely related terms arrack, used for South and Southeast Asian spirits, and rakı, the Turkish aniseed drink, making these words true linguistic cousins across several languages.
How arak is actually used
Arak is strongly associated with Levantine culture — Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine — where it is the traditional accompaniment to mezze. It is almost never drunk neat; it is diluted with water (and often ice), which causes it to turn a milky opalescent colour. The word carries warm connotations of hospitality and shared meals rather than heavy drinking.
Easily confused with arak
Arrack is a broader South and Southeast Asian spirit distilled from sugarcane, rice, or coconut palm sap, whereas arak specifically refers to the aniseed-flavoured grape spirit of the Middle East.
Rack is a common English noun for a frame or shelf holding objects, unrelated to the alcoholic drink arak despite the similar spelling.