arrack

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)An alcoholic drink distilled from coconut palm flowers in South Asia.

   “From hence we firſt ſailed to Achin, in the iſland of Sumatra, and then to Siam, where we bartered our wares for ſome arrack and opium, the laſt of which bore a great price among the Chineſe:[…]”

   “[…] the cocoa-nut tree yields a pure draught from a dry and barren land; a cup of water to the temperate and thirsty traveler; a cup of cream from the pressed kernel; a cup of refreshing and sparkling toddy to the early riser; a cup of arrack to the hardened spirit-drinker, and a cup of oil, by the light of which I now extol its merits—five separate and distinct liquids from the same tree!”

   “Ceylon teaches many lessons. The liquor traffic, for instance, is managed throughout the entire island as a governmental monopoly. […] Pure arrack only can be sold at fixed prices, and lessees are held to strict account for drunkenness and disturbances.”

   “Moti Guj was very fond of liquor—arrack for choice, though he would drink palm-tree toddy if nothing better offered.”

   “The Moh tree, botanically Bassia Latifolia, produces flowers rich in sugar, used in India in the manufacture of the liquor arrack.”

2. (countable, uncountable)An alcoholic drink made from sugar cane and fermented red rice in Indonesia.

   “Like rum, proper Batavia arrack from Indonesia, also known as arak or rack, is distilled from sugarcane. Unlike rum, it has a healthy dose of red rice added to the mash.”

   “Today, arrack is still produced and consumed in parts of Indonesia. It has a particular important position among the Hindus in Bali and Lombok, who use it in ritual and sometimes also in the non-ritual, secular context.”

3. (alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable)Alternative spelling of arak (“aniseed-flavored alcoholic drink consumed primarily in the Middle East”).

   “When he walked in and out, looking at the house in connection with the sun, the trees, and the lake, and said, rubbing his hands with might of heartiness, “Well done! Make the dowar now as ye well know, and to-night we will sweeten the bread with arrack, and the milk with honey, and at every fire there shall be a kid. […]””