Arak Bali

Arak is the clear distilled spirit of Bali, made in the villages of the island, above all in the dry east around Karangasem, from the sap of palms. The sap is tapped from the flower stalk of the coconut palm Cocos nucifera or the sugar palm Arenga pinnata, fermented into tuak, and then distilled. The village distiller and the tapper carry the craft, usually within the household, and Kruger records arak as part of Balinese ceremonial life, poured as an offering and shared at gatherings alongside tuak and brem.

Arak Bali is a colourless spirit, distilled from fermented palm sap or, in some villages, from fermented rice, and sold unaged by the bottle or in lengths of bamboo. The tuak is heated in a still, traditionally a clay or metal pot with a bamboo condenser, and the vapour is cooled and collected as a clear distillate whose strength varies widely from one maker to another. The nose is of fermented palm sugar and a faint sweetness, with a sharp, clean edge on the palate. It is drunk neat in small measures, poured as an offering, or mixed into the island's cocktails with lime, honey and ice.

Arak is drunk in small measures at ceremonies and gatherings, poured as an offering, and set beside salty, fatty and spiced foods such as babi guling, sate lilit and lawar. The structural reason is that the clean, high-strength spirit cuts through the richness of pork fat and coconut and clears the palate between mouthfuls of chilli and shrimp paste. Mixed with lime, honey and ice, it is also made into a long drink that softens the spirit's edge.