The Byblos Blush Arak cocktail combines the savoury note of aniseed with tartness of ruby red grapefruit in a sparkling and elegant sipping drink. This article follows from Arak – An Essential Guide.
Arak Cocktail: Byblos Blush – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
Arak cocktails are far and few in between. When it comes to the anise-flavoured high proof spirit from the Levant, it is usually enjoyed with cold water and ice as an accompaniment to food.
The Byblos Blush is a Cocktails & Bars original creation. The aim was to create an elegant sipping cocktail that doesn’t mask the flavour of Arak. The signature aniseed flavour was to be retained along with the savoury end of the spectrum. As such, heavy sweeteners and highly aromatic ingredients were avoided.
Arak Azoury (54% ABV) from Lebanon is paired with freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice currently in season lending a tart note to the drink as well as a delicate blush. The flavour is complemented by a touch of simple syrup and topped with carbonation, in this case, soda water. The drink is garnished with a fennel frond from the edible garden for a touch of aromatics and as a complement to the aniseed note.
The cocktail is named after the city of Byblos (Jbeil) in Lebanon located 30 kilometres north of Beirut, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world since 5000 BC. Its beautiful seaside location not only invites exploration but elegant sipping of the country’s national spirit as the sun goes down, bathing the ancient Phoenician port city in a warm blush.
Byblos Blush Arak Cocktail Recipe
Original Recipe Created by Cocktails & Bars
Ingredients
- 20ml Arak
- 15ml ruby red grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
- 10ml simple syrup (1:1 ratio)
- soda water to top, chilled
Glassware: champagne flute or tulip
Garnish: fennel frond
Method
In a cocktail shaker, add Arak, freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice and simple syrup over ice and shake hard until the tin is very cold. Strain into a chilled champagne flute or tulip. Top with cold soda water and garnish with a fennel frond.
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