Ingredients
Drink
- 60 mlarak (anise-flavoured grape spirit, 50–60 percent alcohol)
- 120 mlfreshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice, strained
- 20 mlcold water, if using very strong arak
- 1 tspsugar syrup, optional, to taste
- cubed ice, plenty
- 1grapefruit wedge or a sprig of mint, to garnish
Glassware
- a highball or a heavy tumbler, chilled
Directions
- Squeeze the grapefruit fresh and strain out the pulp; bottled juice is too sweet and flat and will not carry the anise.
- Fill the chilled highball to the top with cubed ice. Skimping on ice makes the drink dilute faster, not slower.
- Pour the arak over the ice first and watch it stay clear.
- Add the grapefruit juice slowly. The drink will turn opaque milky white as it hits the water in the juice; this is the ouzo effect, anethole from the aniseed falling out of solution.
- Stir gently three or four times with a bar spoon, just enough to combine without knocking the cloudiness out of suspension.
- Taste and add the sugar syrup only if your grapefruit is very sharp. In Tel Aviv bars it is usually served bone dry.
- Garnish with a wedge of grapefruit squeezed over the surface, or a slapped mint sprig.
- Serve immediately with something salty; it is drunk as a long afternoon drink rather than a short cocktail.
Technique
- The ratio is generally one part arak to two or three parts juice. Arak drunk with anything is always poured spirit first, then liquid, then ice in the traditional Levantine order; over ice as here it is a modern bar build.
- Never pour water or juice onto arak that already has ice sitting in the glass in the old way, since the anethole crystallises into an unpleasant film. Building over plenty of ice at once, as above, avoids this.
- Arak is distilled from grapes, usually three times, with green aniseed added on the final distillation. It is not the same as ouzo, which is sweeter, or raki, which is often made from other fruit.
- The louche is a sign of a properly made, undiluted arak with real aniseed.
Substitutions
- No arak: ouzo or raki will work with a similar profile, though ouzo is sweeter and you should skip the syrup entirely.
- Pink grapefruit can be replaced by white grapefruit, which is sharper, or by a mix of orange and lemon juice.
Variations
- Arak limonana replaces the grapefruit with lemonade blended with fresh mint.
- Some Tel Aviv bars top it with a splash of soda for a longer, lighter drink.
- Straight arak with cold water and ice, one part to three, is the everyday way it is drunk with meze.
History
The default Tel Aviv bar drink of the 2000s, built on the anise spirit shared across the Levant and cheap local grapefruit.
Frequently asked questions
What is Arak eshkoliyot?
Arak eshkoliyot is a cocktail from Israel: arak poured long over ice with fresh grapefruit juice, clouding milky white. The default Tel Aviv bar drink of the 2000s, built on the anise spirit shared across the Levant and cheap local grapefruit.
How long does Arak eshkoliyot take to make?
Arak eshkoliyot takes 3 min of preparation and n/a of cooking. The recipe makes 1 tall drink. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Arak eshkoliyot?
Yes, within limits. No arak: ouzo or raki will work with a similar profile, though ouzo is sweeter and you should skip the syrup entirely. Pink grapefruit can be replaced by white grapefruit, which is sharper, or by a mix of orange and lemon juice.
What is the most important thing to get right in Arak eshkoliyot?
Serve immediately with something salty; it is drunk as a long afternoon drink rather than a short cocktail.
