I recall reading that Rakia (the vodka-like spirit drunk in many Middle Eastern countries) has been made from dates, and sometimes, coconuts. Has anyone ever tasted this?
There are also the various fruit brandies (which i don’t like)-most of them have very little flavor of the fruit used to make it. Most of the common spirits are distilled from gain or wines-are there any truly exotic ones out there that you have tasted?
I’ve had rakia before. I’ve never seen it in the Middle East, but it is common in the Balkans. I’ve had it in Kosovo, Serbia and Turkey. It’s often home made, the kind of thing a farmer makes a barrel of and it’s quality varies widely. I don’t know about dates or coconuts, but it is usually made from fruit. I think it is very similar to slivovica which is plum brandy found in eastern Europe and which you can find in stores in the US.
I‘ve had grappa, distilled from wine pressings. I’d guess it would be similar.
The slivovica that I have tried in Bratislava had almost no plum flavor, and was pretty similar to vodka with just a hint of sweetness.
I understand that some of the homemade stuff is quite excellent, though.
(What I was drinking was mass produced)
If by obscure you mean “you can’t buy it in a store”, then the locally produced moonshine is pretty good.
There are still some stills back here in the woods.
As a side note: One of the local families who was headed by a man named Popcorn Sutton recently (upon Popcorn’s lamented demise) sold the formula to a company who now sells it under the brand name of “Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey”. I have tasted it and it is fairly good but watered down to a standard proof.
A lot of it is unaged, but I used to work with a guy who would bring in aged slivocia from his dad’s farm which had a nice taste, but yeah most of it tastes like cheap vodka.
I once had a tequila that came in a pottery crock in sisal netting, plugged with a cork, but it had a government tax seal, so it was a legitimate commercial tequila. A friend brought it back from Mexico, and it was the smoothest I ever tasted. I don’t recall the name.
I’ve had commercially made maple wine.
I’ve also had dandelion wine that was made by a relative.
I’ve only seen Mama Juana when I was in the Dominican Republic, although the base of it is mostly just rum:
Wiki: Mama Juana is a drink from the Dominican Republic that is concocted by allowing rum, red wine, and honey to soak in a bottle with tree bark and herbs
Slivovitz and derivatives is pretty much the same idea as vodka from a different source.
Maybe the most obscure thing I’ve tried is damiana liquor, made in Mexico from the plant of the same name. Supposedly an aphrodisiac; I didn’t notice that but it’s pretty good. Apparently the UK and Louisiana don’t like the plant.
Ones I’ve seen that are easy to find but weird ingredients: Cynar, a liqueur made from artichoke, among other things. Also flavored vodkas, like jalapeno, chipotle, spiced pear, Buddha’s hand, cake, whipping cream, fruit loops, and “purple” (it’s a fruit, right?). I’ve only tried a few of those, some are good, some are gross.
I drank ‘medicinal alcohol’ with some Russian doctors on the Trans Siberian Railroad once. I thought it was vodka, but it clearly wasn’t. Then they explained they stole it from their hospital and it wasn’t bad when you mix it with peach juice. God, I can still taste it.
It’s generally called “arak” in the Middle East.
I didn’t know arak was the same thing, learn something new every day. I’ve never had it in the ME, only in the Balkans
How about some very rare ones?:
-Creme de Houx: distilled from holly berries-its made in Alsace, France-not sold in the USA (to my knowledge)
- Fior de Alpini: this is a herb and alpine flower spirit-I have never seen it (even in Italy it is rare)
- the Finns are supposed to make a liquor from wild cranberries-never seen it
I thought arak was like ouzo?
It is - and ouzo is like rakia (or raki in Turkey). It’s all basically the same drink, with minor regional variations, popular throughout the former Ottoman Empire.
Palm Wine and it’s distilled derivative arrack?
Palm wine has to win the prize for the easiest booze to make - just tap the right palm, collect the sap and lit it sit for as little as two hours (if wikipedia is to be believed) and there you go!
No idea if this is what you’re thinking of, maybe not, but similar is Lakka, made from cloudberry.
I know about rakı and such, I just thought rakia was like a fruit, non-anise, brandy.
I only know “rakia” as the drink in the Balkans that is made (usually) from distilled fruits. It is basically a clear fruit brandy or schnapps. The most common type is slivovica, a rakia made from plums. I have never heard of any Middle Eastern drink referred to as “rakia,” but who knows? Here’s the Wikipedia article on rakia, which mostly agrees with me.
I have heard of “raki” and “arak,” which are both anise-flavored drinks similar to ouzo.
I disagree that rakia does not taste like the fruit is made from. Clear distilled fruit brandies are among my favorite alcoholic drinks. A test for good rakia is to smear a little bit on your hand or wrist, wait a couple seconds, and then smell it. It should smell like the essence of the fruit it is made from. When drunk, it is not sweet, but still retains the characteristic flavor of fruit, minus all the sugar. It can be quite a “fiery” drink if you’re not used to it, but plum rakia tastes distinct from pear rakia, which is distinct from apricot rakia, etc. My favorites are plum, Williams (Bartlett) pear, and white mulberry.
Slivovica is, indeed, a type of rakia.