Celebrate the Culture and History of Arak!!

Every year on June 27th, we come together as a network of Arak producers, consumers, restaurants, bartenders and distributors in celebrating the culture and history of one of the world’s oldest spirits. 

Arak is a uniquely Levantine drink, with origins dating back to more than a thousand years ago in Iraq and still widely consumed throughout the region.  Arak reunites the region that was divided into French and British colonies by the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 and the League of Nations Mandate systems. On June 28th, 1919 The Covenant of the League of Nations as a part of the Treaty of Versailles was signed, officially breaking up the Ottoman Empire into European colonies under the mandate system. In doing so, both the political and the alcohol culture of the region were unraveled and transformed. 

For this reason, we chose June 27th, the last day of Levantine unity, to celebrate Arak’s unique cultural heritage.