Arak distillery promotes ambitious new brand in defiance of alcohol ban
A small home distiller wants to revive the long tradition of alcohol production in the Iraqi town of Bashiqa, which was once a center of multiculturalism and revered for its booze.
Distiller Amer ad-Doumali launched “Arak Bashiqa” in September, a new brand of the Levant's traditional anise drink whose recipe is centered on dates. It was a bold move in conservative Iraq, where a yet-unenforced 2016 law banned the production and trade of alcohol.
Doumali’s new brand is the product of his home distillery in the town of Bahzani in Iraq’s northern Ninaveh province. The town is very close to Bashiqa, once known as the booze capital of Iraq.
![Yellow capped new bottles of Turkish liquor of "Yeni Raki" remain packed at a alcohol sales spot in Istanbul March 9, 2005. A Turkish alcohol company on Tuesday ordered the recall of millions of bottles of Turkish liquor as the death toll from a bootleg version of the drink rose to at least 22.[ Galip Yorgancioglu, chief executive of Mey Drinks, said the firm was recalling all 0.7-litre bottles of Tekel brand raki, a popular anise-flavoured drink. Other sizes and brands would remain on shelves. ] - PBEAHUOC](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/11-1/RTXNAY7.jpg/RTXNAY7.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=UQholvmN)