A clear home-distilled grain spirit poured in small glasses at Eritrean feasts, distilled from grain fermented with gesho leaves in village stills. It is the same drink as Ethiopia’s areke.
Unlicensed distilling is illegal almost everywhere, and running a still without discarding the volatile heads is precisely what leaves methanol in the glass.
What goes into it
- barley, sorghum or maize
- gesho leaves
- water
How it is made
Grain is fermented with gesho for several days into a beer, and that beer is then distilled in a simple pot still over a wood fire. It is often distilled twice for strength. Village stills rarely separate the head of the run from the rest.
How long it takes: days to ferment, then distilling
How it is eaten
In small glasses at weddings, funerals and saints’ days.
History
Distilled from grain fermented with gesho leaves in village stills; the same drink is Ethiopia’s areke, served at weddings, funerals and saints’ days.
Frequently asked questions
What is Areki?
Areki is a wine & spirit from Eritrea: clear home-distilled grain spirit poured in small glasses at feasts. Distilled from grain fermented with gesho leaves in village stills; the same drink is Ethiopia’s areke, served at weddings, funerals and saints’ days.
How is Areki made?
Grain is fermented with gesho for several days into a beer, and that beer is then distilled in a simple pot still over a wood fire. It is often distilled twice for strength. Village stills rarely separate the head of the run from the rest. It takes days to ferment, then distilling.
Can I make Areki at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Unlicensed distilling is illegal almost everywhere, and running a still without discarding the volatile heads is precisely what leaves methanol in the glass.
What goes into Areki?
Barley, sorghum or maize, gesho leaves, water.
How is Areki eaten?
In small glasses at weddings, funerals and saints’ days.
