The Cocktail Story
  • Recipes
    • Cocktails
      • Vodka
      • Gin
      • Whisky
      • Rum
      • Tequila
      • Wine
    • Alcohol Free
  • Articles
    • Spirits
    • Brand Stories
    • Bartenders
    • Cocktails Stories
  • Bar Basics
    • Bar Techniques
    • Home Bartending
  • News
    • Liquor News
    • Cocktail Competitions
    • Experiences
  • About Us
  • Contact
The Cocktail Story
The Cocktail Story
  • Recipes
    • Cocktails
      • Vodka
      • Gin
      • Whisky
      • Rum
      • Tequila
      • Wine
    • Alcohol Free
  • Articles
    • Spirits
    • Brand Stories
    • Bartenders
    • Cocktails Stories
  • Bar Basics
    • Bar Techniques
    • Home Bartending
  • News
    • Liquor News
    • Cocktail Competitions
    • Experiences
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Spirits

Arrack – The Lesser-Known Spirit of South East Asia

  • July 28, 2020
  • Vinayak Goel
Arrack: Coconut Sap Spirit

Arrack is a spirit with ancient roots and is a term used to describe a wide range of spirits made across South East Asia. Arrack should not be confused with the Anise flavoured spirit Arak from the Middle Eastern World. Arrack can be made using coconut sap, molasses, grains, and fruits, either pot distilled, continuous distilled, or a combination of both. Some of them may even be aged in several different casks and vats.

It seems intimidating, worry not we will try and demystify this spirit for you. This is one of India’s traditional spirits and it’s only fair that we know a little more about it.

Arrack – What is it?

It is a distilled alcoholic beverage produced in India and South-East Asian Countries like Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The word apparently originates from the Areca Nut from the Areca tree also known as the arrack tree whose sap was used to produce a spirit. However, Arrack has been used in Indian languages to all drinks which showed similar intoxicant properties.

It has been further classified on the basis of country of origin, which in turn generally use a particular ingredient for production. Ceylon Arrack originates from Sri Lanka and is made using fermented coconut sap also known as Toddy. Batavia Arrack originates from Indonesia and is predominantly made using Molasses.

Arrack has a rich history of export to and usage in European countries finding particular popularity in England, Sweden, and Finland. It is believed to have been the base for the much loved Indian Alcoholic Punch.

In countries like India and elsewhere Arrack has been banned due to a variety of reasons, leading it to be sold predominantly as moonshine. The ingredients used to make it are readily available with what seems to be a simple to execute production process. The moonshine distillation looks as simple as the setup shown below.

Arrack Distillation
image credits: thenewsminute.com

It is produced illegally, sold at a minimum price, and as such seen as a drink consumed by the lower-income classes. Moreover, if not produced carefully it has a polarizing funky taste, making mass acceptance even harder.

Arrack – How is it made?

For a spirit as versatile and differentiated, it is difficult to pinpoint a particular production process, with each distiller following their own set procedures of ingredients, fermentation, distillation, aging, and blending. While the Batavia version is a close cousin of rum, made using molasses it is differentiated through the use of the local red rice cakes to aid the fermentation process. This rice plus molasses fermentation gives it an absolutely unique and kind of funky flavour profile. It is often aged and blended after being exported to countries like Holland, etc.

The Ceylon version on the other hand is made from the coconut flower sap, locally known as toddy. Sri Lanka is the largest producer of the coconut sap Arrack and proudly claims it as a part of their heritage and culture. It is flourishing in all kinds of markets in Sri Lanka, from the lower end “Extra Special Arrack” all the way to Oak and Halmilla cask-aged premium Arracks.

Harvesting Toddy or the fermented coconut sap is an intricate and manual process. “Toddy Tappers” climb up coconut trees sometimes as high as 80ft to collect the sap. They cut the bud from the flower stem and start tapping it to encourage the sap out which is collected in receptacles, which are in turn emptied out into earthen clay pots tied to the toddy tapper’s waist.

It is an intricate and fine process, with each tree needing to be tapped daily. Moreover, the sap collected is rich in sugars, as a result, starts fermenting naturally at an incredibly quick pace, reaching almost 6% ABV in a matter of hours. The toddy has to be distilled the same day as it is harvested. Harvesting Toddy is not for the faint-hearted.

The high-quality Arrack is made using only this coconut sap and water. Lower quality ones usually see other fruits, grains, etc being added. It is generally distilled up to 60% ABV and diluted down to about 40% ABV. More often than not lower quality ones are spiked with other grain neutral spirits.

Some manufacturers have elevated Arrack production to an art form comparable to ” New World” spirits.

Arrack, the original clear spirit is now being converted into a brown spirit with 12-15-year-olds being common varieties in the premium segment. They are aged in choicest casks made from Oaks and Sri Lankan hardwood, Halmilla which imparts a unique flavour. Not only is it aged, but it is also tastefully blended by master blenders.

A well-produced, aged and blended Arrack has unique tropical notes and tastes like a cross between a good dark rum and a cognac. It has a complex multi-layered palate with floral notes and hints of coconut. It has a distinct depth of flavour even while being quite subtle and refined. It can be drunk neat or used in cocktails. It is the base spirit of one of the best sellers at Native Bar, Singapore.

Arrack: Premium Brands

As compared to other spirits, there are relatively fewer premium brands available to choose from. The Premium addition of Arrack is a recent addition. It was originally seen as a low-class drink, whilst international spirits like cognac, scotch, aged rums enjoyed popularity amongst the local elite. A few brands have elevated the art of Arrack into something that can stand it’s own against the best of the New World Spirits. Some of the brands include:-

  • Ceylon Arrack
Arrack
Image Credits: Drinksandco.com
  • VSOA White Lion
Arrack
Image Credits: themixlab.wordpress.com
  • Batavia Arrack van Oosten
Arrack
Image credits: noblewhiskeyhouse.com

You know what you need to grab or ask your friends to grab on the next Sri Lankan trip. It’s about time we taste and appreciate our heritage and culture. We can’t wait to get our hands on another bottle, once we all can start traveling again. Meanwhile, read here about Feni, the nation’s favourite spirit from Goa.

Vinayak Goel

I live for great food, drinks and conversations. Stories intrigue me and inspire me. A rock head by day and hip-hop fanatic by night.

You May Also Like
View Post
  • Spirits

India Inspired Gin Brands

  • Arnav Das
  • September 10, 2020
SOJU 101: Spirit of Korea
View Post
  • Spirits

SOJU 101: Spirit of Korea

  • Arnav Das
  • September 7, 2020
View Post
  • Spirits

Scotch Whisky: The Pride of Scotland

  • Arnav Das
  • September 1, 2020
Indian Gins
View Post
  • Featured
  • Spirits

Indian Gins: A Complete List of 10 Nouveau Indian Gin Brands

  • Vinayak Goel
  • July 31, 2020
Whisky vs whiskey
View Post
  • Spirits

Whisky vs Whiskey: Ultimate Guide to the Significance of the letter “E”

  • Vedant Mehra
  • July 15, 2020
Indian Beer Brands List under Rs 250
View Post
  • Spirits

7 Interesting Indian Beers under ₹250

  • Vinayak Goel
  • July 14, 2020
Amrut Single Malt
View Post
  • Spirits

Amrut Single Malt: India’s first Single Malt

  • Surbhi Khera
  • June 16, 2020
World Gin Day
View Post
  • Featured
  • Spirits

A Complete Guide to Gin

  • Surbhi Khera
  • June 13, 2020

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Cocktail Story
  • Home
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Developed and maintained by
Creative11 Digital Media

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.